Amazon’s New Kindle Eyes Success in a Niche Market
Charlotte Raab | August 01, 2010
The pioneer of the e-book business last week unveiled a $139 wireless-only version of the basic Kindle. (AP Photo/amazon.com Inc.) Related articles
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New York. Amazon, by slashing the price of the Kindle, is hoping to turn its electronic book reader into a device with mass market appeal, one for “serious readers” distinct from Apple’s multipurpose iPad.
The pioneer of the e-book business last week unveiled a $139 wireless-only version of the basic Kindle, less than six weeks after dropping the price of the e-book reader to $189 from $259.
Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos said sales growth for the Kindle “tripled” following the price cut to $189 and the company is anticipating that the even-lower price will spur further sales.
“The Wi-Fi only device for $139 clearly targets a mass market audience,” said Justin Post, an analyst at Bank of America.
At $139, the Kindle is “edging closer to a tipping point price of $99,” which could trigger widespread adoption, he added.
“It’s a very compelling price point for someone who’s looking for a single purpose device which has a rich functionality,” agreed Shawn DuBravac, chief economist with the Consumer Electronics Association.
US bookstore chain Barnes and Noble sells a version of its e-reader, the Nook, for $149, while Sony’s cheapest e-reader is $150 and the iPad will set readers back at least $499.
Amazon does not release sales figures for the Kindle but says it has been the online retail giant’s best-selling item for two years. Research firms and analysts estimate the number sold at more than three million units.
Apple sold nearly 3.3 million iPads in just the first three months since it hit store shelves but the competition from the, trendy California gadget maker has Amazon unfazed.
Apple’s tablet computer allows users to watch video, listen to music, play games or surf the Web in addition to reading digital books, but the Kindle, as Amazon founder Bezos has stressed repeatedly, is “all about reading.”
CEA’s DuBravac said Amazon’s approach may succeed. “One of the things that’s happened over the last several decades is that consumers have adopted technology,” he said.
“What that enables the consumer to do is go to the device that is most meaningful for the experience that they’re looking for.”
Agence France-Presse
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