The New Amazon Kindle Third Generation Is Finally Released

It’s been a long time coming – at least it certainly feels that way – but Amazon has at last revealed its new, upgraded and enhanced Kindle reader. Dubbed the third generation Kindle by Amazon, there are a variety of improvements.

The new features of the Kindle 3 seem likely to press all the right buttons for e-book reader fans. It keeps the same 6” e-ink technology screen, but the display’s contrast has been improved by 50%, which should make reading even better. The speed of page turns, already good for the Kindle 2.0, has been made 20% faster.

The overall size of the reader has been shrunk by 21% and the weight is now only 8.7 ozs – a 15% reduction. Battery life with the Wi-Fi off is now a month, and even with Wi-Fi turned on a ten day life is expected. Memory has been doubled to 4 GB, enough for approximately 3,500 books. So the new Kindle is smaller, lighter, easier to read, has a longer battery life and allows users to carry a small personal library with them wherever they go. What more could you want from a mobile reader?

Well, a color screen would have been on many people’s wish lists. However, whilst Amazon have been working on a color e-ink technology display, it simply isn’t ready for commercial release at this time. This may perhaps be available in time for the next upgrade. Some users may have liked to see the inclusion of an SD slot for memory expansion. Even so, with the new increased 4GB of memory, most people won’t suffer too greatly.

As well as all the upgrades, Amazon have adjusted the price downwards and introduced a new Wi-Fi only Kindle for customers who don’t feel the need for a 3G connection. The Wi-Fi only entry level model is available for just $ 139, the Wi-Fi plus free 3G model sells for $ 189. The new Kindle 3 is also available in graphite, just like the new DX model, in addition to the original white.

Amazon has also launched a dedicated UK Kindle store on their British website. UK consumers will no longer require to have their Kindles shipped from the States. To begin with the UK Kindle store will have 400,000 Kindle books to choose from. It seems reasonable to suppose that Amazon may consider opening other dedicated Kindle stores for its other “local” websites in France, Germany etc. in the future.

Kindle 3 sales are strong. Potential customers currently face a wait of around about 4 weeks before their readers are shipped. It may be that all the reports of the Kindle reader’s demise, brought about by the release of Apple’s iPad, were very premature. The new upgrades, the lower prices and the fact that there is no monthly payment for connectivity, will be very appealing to many consumers. It looks as though the launch of the third generation Kindle may serve as a timely reminder of just how influential Amazon are, and will continue to be, in the world of books in general and e-books in particular

Digital Books Are Starting To Become More Widely Accepted

The recent surge in the popularity of both e-books and e-book readers has been heavily influenced by Amazon. Amazon’s Kindle reader first hit the market during November of 2006 and further updates followed with the release of the Kindle 2.0 in February of 2009 and the August 2010 launch of the upgraded third generation Kindle. The summer of 2009 also saw the launch of the large format Kindle DX, which was also updated in August 2010.

A great many industry analysts suggested that, notwithstanding the influential role of Amazon in the development of the e-book reader market, the release of the Apple iPad would signal the demise of the Kindle reader. However, after the launch of the third generation Kindle – accompanied by a reduction in the retail price – Amazon has sold out of their readers again. It looks as if demand remains high for what is now Amazon’s best selling product.

E-books have been readily accepted by many readers. Others seem to be attached to physical books. However, for the majority of people the convenience of being able to carry large quantities of books around with them, coupled with the ease of operation offered by e-book readers, has proven to be a winning combination. Recent cuts in e-book reader prices, prompted by the release of the iPad, have made e-book readers a much more attractive option for many readers.

Amazon recently advised that they are currently selling more Kindle books than conventional hardback books. The low selling priced of e-books – they use no paper or ink and have no delivery fees to speak of after all – certainly help. It seems reasonable to suppose that e-book sales will overtake paperback sales – and probably sooner rather than later.

As well as the price, the ease with which e-books can be bought is another influencing factor. Readers can download a book to their Kindle in less than sixty seconds, at any time of the day or night, just as long as they can connect to Amazon’s Kindle store.

A possible area of concern for some customers was the worry that they would be “tied” to one particular e-book reader. This issue has been very effectively addressed by Amazon who have released a large number of free “apps” to allow Kindle books to be read on a wide range of different devices. At the moment, Kindle books can be read on the PC, the Mac, the iPhone, the iPad, the Blackberry smart phone and any device which runs the Android operating system. It’s actually a clever strategy by Amazon. It not only removes customer’s concerns about being tied to one proprietary piece of hardware but every new app acts as a seperate point of sale for Amazon’s vast library of Kindle books. Currently, approximately 20% of all Kindle book sales are destined to be read on non-Kindle hardware.

It looks as if e-books are here for the long term and that they will gradually begin to account for a higher and higher proportion of book sales. It also seems probable that Amazon will continue to be a driving influence in the world of digital publishing in future.

Why The Amazon Kindle Will Survive

Since its original release back in 2007, Amazon’s Kindle reader has consistently been the best e-book reader available on the market. That’s why it has enjoyed such a high level of success to date. Back in the third quarter of 2009, when every electronics manufacturer was trying to get a piece of the emerging e-book reader market, any new reader was instantly hailed as the Kindle killer. This is due to the fact that the Kindle was, and still is, the industry benchmark.

The recent release of the upgraded third generation Kindle reader has widened the gap between Amazon’s reader and the trailing pack even further. It’s probably worth pointing out that the most credible Kindle killer to date is not another e-book reader but the Apple iPad. This is a very different device with a much higher price tag and, when looked at as an e-book reader, one which suffers in a number of areas in comparison with the Kindle.

The latest improvements include a doubling of memory from 2 to 4 GB, a higher contrast display, 20% faster page turns and an extended battery life. The device retains the same 6″ display, but in a smaller, lighter case – which now comes in either white or graphite. Amazon has also launched an entry level reader with Wi-Fi only for those who don’t envisage the need for a 3G connection. This is on sale at just $ 139 – very close to the $ 99 value commonly held to be impulse buy territory for personal electronics. The Wi-Fi plus 3G model is available for $ 189.

As well as these various technical improvements, and almost unnoticed by many, Amazon opened a separate Kindle store for the UK market. UK residents will now be able to purchase their readers locally instead of having an international version shipped from the States. This only took a few days to do – but some customers may have been put off by exchange rates and having to use a credit card (debit cards are more common in the UK). Amazon has just launched a major TV advertising campaign in the United Kingdom and it could be that this, together with the “local” UK Kindle store could generate a lot of sales for them. In the event that this proves to be a success, we might see additional local Kindle stores being opened for Germany, France and the other countries with their own Amazon websites.

Following the release of the Kindle 3, Amazon has sold out of Kindles yet again. Customers are pre-ordering Kindles for delivery in three to four weeks time, with the readers being shipped on a first come first served basis. All things considered, there’s absolutely no sign that demand for the Kindle is falling off – which is hardly surprising given the quality of the product.

In the past, reports of the Kindles death were always premature, and that still seems to be the case today. The Kindle and the iPad are completely different devices and there’s very little point in trying to compare them with each other. The Kindle is, by a long way, the best e-book reader available on the market. That’s why it will continue to thrive – and why Amazon’s influence in the future of digital publishing will continue to grow. Some people will continue to read traditional books, both hardbacks and paperbacks. Others will switch to an e-book reader, in which case the Amazon Kindle will be the most popular choice (as will Kindle books). Yet others will be chiefly concerned with surfing the net and watching videos when they’re on the move, reading an e-book from time to time – and they will probably find the iPad to be the best solution for their needs. Whatever your own personal preference is, Amazon will be more than happy to supply your needs.

Might Amazon Be Encouraged To Release New Products Other Than The Kindle Reader

Amazon’s newly released third generation is selling extremely well at the moment. An upgrade – which incorporates a new 50% higher contrast e-ink technology display, smaller and lighter casing, faster page turns and a doubling of memory to 4GB – accompanied by a price reduction and the launch of a new Wi-Fi only entry level model, has seen demand for the Kindle reader take off.

Currently, the new upgraded Kindles are out of stock and prospective customers face a three to four week wait before any new ones begin shipping. Sales of Kindle books are now regularly higher than hardback edition sales. It looks to be only a matter of time before e-book sales outstrip paperback sales.

Amazon has also opened a dedicated UK Kindle store so that UK customers don’t require to have their readers shipped across the Atlantic and can pay for their Kindle purchases in their local currency. It seems probable that further “local” Kindle stores will be opened for other Amazon international websites such as Germany, France etc. in the future.

In short, everything in the garden is pretty rosy for Amazon right now. Predictions that the Kindle would be killed off as a result of the launch of the Apple iPad seem to be largely inaccurate. Amazon’s policy of releasing free “apps” to allow Kindle books to be read on a variety of different devices looks to be paying dividends. So, considering what a huge success they have had with their first manufactured product, it’s probably no surprise that Amazon is reported to be considering developing prototypes for consumer gadgets other than the Kindle in their Lab 126 research facility.

Amazon has made no comment on what they may, or may not, be developing, but it has been suggested that they may be looking at mobile phones and music and/or movie players. However, industry analysts suggest that, were Amazon to enter the market with another gadget, they would need to be sure that they were adding value rather than just releasing another piece of personal electronic tech onto the market.

Much of the success of the Kindle reader must be attributed to Amazon’s strong association with books and reading in general. The huge number of Kindle books on offer – over 630,000 and increasing daily – and the fact that these can be read on so many other devices has been a big selling point. Any new gadget that Amazon decided to launch would probably need some similar type of support in order to achieve anything approaching the level of success enjoyed by the Kindle.