Amazon is ramping up efforts to expand the popularity and ubiquity of its hugely popular Kindle eReader.
This week, the online retail giant announced that a new, smaller, lighter, and faster Kindle – with 50% better contrast to boot – will soon arrive at an advertised price of $189. But as Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder & CEO, noted, “If you don’t need the convenience of 3G wireless, we have an incredible new price point–$139 for Kindle Wi-Fi.”
“At this price point,” he added, “many people are going to buy multiple units for the home and family.”
In a move that clearly aims to take some of the momentum out of Apple’s iPad as the newest eReader phenomenon, Amazon is pushing the all-new Kindle by emphasizing its updated bells and whistles, which include an electronic-ink screen, a 21% smaller body, a 15% lighter weight, 20% faster page turns, one month of battery life, double the storage to 3,500 books, and built-in Wi-Fi.
Looking to capture a bigger market share by maintaining the device’s popularity through no monthly bills or annual contracts, Amazon realizes that it’s a more of a mobile world now than ever. And by beginning the process of “next-gen” Kindles, Amazon will likely not only extend the product life and popularity of the Kindle but also hype future product updates that closely follows the business models of other mobile technology titans like Apple, with its annual iPhone upgrades.
