Amazon.com has depleted its inventory of basic Kindle e-readers just a month after a substantial price drop from $259 to $189. Amazon now lists the second-generation Kindle as “temporarily out of stock,” but is still taking orders that will ship when available.
The company seems focused on selling the deluxe Kindle DX, with its larger screen at 9.7 inches instead of six inches, and a price of $379. Both devices feature free 3G coverage to download some 630,000 commercial e-books as well as 1.8 million free public-domain titles.
Next Generation?
The depletion of the basic Kindle supply comes amid reports, unconfirmed by Amazon, that it is preparing an upgraded version.
“One of the possible reasons that Amazon’s e-reader inventory has been moving briskly is in preparation for a third-generation Kindle device,” said ABI Research mobile-devices analyst Jeff Orr. “A price cut on gen-2 readers could test the waters for a future tiered offering [of the lower-priced model]; different screen sizes or Wi-Fi-only, for example.” No current Kindle models offer a Wi-Fi connection.
Amazon faces a crowded field of competitors, including Barnes & Noble’s nook and Sony’s Reader, as well as a range of tablet computers rushing to market to compete with Apple’s popular iPad, which has far more functionality and offers access to Apple’s growing library of e-books, currently at 75,000.
Apple says it has sold 3.27 million iPads in about three months since its debut, and analysts predict sales for 2010 may reach as high as 12 million. Amazon hasn’t released sales figures for the Kindle.
iCompetitors?
But Orr said the devices are reaching different markets.
“Kindle and iPad do not compete any more than Kindle and iPhone compete,” said Orr. “Avid book readers are choosing between a dedicated e-reader or sticking with books. Computer users that want a home companion device may opt for a media tablet…