Amazon is having a busy time of it just at the moment. They have recently announced the upgrade of their tremendously successful Kindle 2.0 and Kindle DX readers and pre-order rates are very high at the moment. Stock levels of the third generation 6” Kindle are depleted and consumers are now pre-ordering to get their Kindle shipped, on a first-come-first-served basis, within four to five weeks.

This latest upgrade includes a higher contrast display, more memory, quicker page turns and color choice of graphite or white . The 6” display version also has 21% smaller body and is 15% lighter, at 8.7 oz. Amazon has also released an entry level Wi-Fi only model of the 6″ display Kindle for customers who do not have need of a 3G connection.

All of this is accompanied by a price drop. The 6” Kindle version Wi-Fi only model retails at $ 139, with the 3G plus Wi-Fi model on sale for $ 189. You can now get your hands on the large format Kindle DX for just $ 379. These represent significant price cuts when compared with the Kindle 2.0 launch $ 359 price and the previous DX price of $ 489.

A lot has been made of the potential impact of the Apple iPad on Kindle reader sales figures. In all probability the release of Apple’s iPad has prompted, or at least hastened, this latest round of e-book reader price cuts. However, the above prices are well below even the entry level iPad price and, for many customers, the fact that 3G is available with no monthly fee will be an attractive aspect of the Kindle pricing plan.

As well as the upgrades to the hardware and the price reductions, a dedicated UK Kindle store will be launched for the first time. Consumers in the UK will no longer require to have their Kindles shipped across the Atlantic. The UK Kindle store launches in August 2010 and will, in the first instance, have around 400,000 Kindle books to choose from. It seems reasonable to assume that other Amazon websites will soon have their own Kindle stores and that customers will be able to have their Kindles supplied locally.

The recent price drop in the e-book reader market may be an indication that the market, although still relatively young, is maturing. Reduced hardware prices will change the emphasis from hardware sales towards the sale of the e-books themselves. Amazon, who have an interest in both hardware and book sales may be better placed than companies who are chiefly concerned with hardware manufacture and sales. Whatever the future brings, and it seems likely that the future of reading will have a strong digital element, Amazon seem likely to remain a very influential player in the development of the market.

Tags

Computer Hardware & Accessories, GPS Devices, Mobile & Cell Phones