DailyTech - Kindle 2 Gets $60 Price Cut

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Blog: Gadgets Kindle 2 Gets $60 Price Cut
Shane McGlaun (Blog) - July 10, 2009 11:09 AM

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5 comment(s) - last by Oregonian2.. on Jul 14 at 1:53 AM

Amazon hacks $60 from the price of Kindle 2 reader

There have been e-book readers on the market for several years. The category didn’t get hot until Amazon began offering its Kindle e-book reader, which quickly become the most popular gadget that Amazon sold.

Earlier this year Amazon announced a new larger screen Kindle to replace the original called simply enough the Kindle 2. Amazon has not publicly stated exactly how many Kindle 2 readers that it has sold.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has only said, "We're grateful and excited that Kindle sales have exceeded our most optimistic expectations."

This week Amazon has changed the price for the Kindle 2 reader dropping the cost of the device from the $359 that it launched at by $60 to a new price of $299. The Kindle 2 had several improvements compared to the original device including a longer battery life, more storage, and faster page turns.

The larger Kindle DX with its 9.7-inch screen retains the same $489 price tag that it had at launch. InformationWeek reports that book publishers are worried that Amazon might use the price cut as a way to squeeze profits on digital books. With several e-readers set to hit the market soon from other makers, the price cut is likely a way to help make the Kindle 2 more popular before the competition hits the market.

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Freakin' Amazon...

By maverick85wd on 7/10/2009 1:35:35 PM , Rating: 5

quote:
book publishers are worried that Amazon might use the price cut as a way to squeeze profits on digital books...

Damn them for using competitive practices to make money!

RE: Freakin' Amazon...

By jadeskye on 7/10/2009 10:25:37 PM , Rating: 2

confound them for their capatalist ways!

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RE: Freakin' Amazon...

By jadeskye on 7/10/2009 10:26:05 PM , Rating: 2

incidently, when can we english people with our crumpets get one of these?

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RE: Freakin' Amazon...

By Oregonian2 on 7/14/2009 1:49:48 AM , Rating: 2

After a large pile of contracts are established. At very least:

1. Deal with a UK wireless 3G provider through which the Kindle's whispernet can be delivered, and at a price that's acceptable to Amazon's gameplan (whatever deal they got from Sprint in the USA).

2. Contracts with book publishers for electronic distribution rights in the UK.

AFAIK they currently have neither of those.

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RE: Freakin' Amazon...

By Oregonian2 on 7/14/2009 1:53:47 AM , Rating: 2

P.S. - The kindle 1 had sold at a lower price than the new kindle 2 price (at least for a week or two) last year.

The Kindle-1 sold for $309 for at least a week using the "Oprah discount". Why is that cheaper? The Kindle-1 included a cover for it. The Kindle-2 doesn't include it, and costs an additional $30. IOW, a $21 higher price than a week or two last October or November than the "new lower price" of the Kindle 2.

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