Have you bought a Kindle? Do you plan on buying a Kindle? If you answered yes to either question, you’re part of a not-that-small group: JP Morgan estimates that some 10 million Americans either own one of Amazon’s e-book readers or plan to get one soon. Meanwhile, whatever happened to Amazon’s plan to bundle newspaper subscriptions with its DX reader?
At some point, this will no longer be a coincidence: Once again, Amazon’s newest e-book reader has sold out shortly after launch. This time, it’s the Kindle DX, the super-sized reader with the super-sized price tag. Amazon started selling the DX three days ago, and by yesterday afternoon the e-commerce giant said it was cleaned out. The next batch won’t arrive until next week.
I actually got to fondle Amazon’s newest Kindle DX at its unveiling earlier this month. So I can confirm that it really isn’t that big. But you can see where these guys are going with this.
Sure, $489 for Amazon’s new Kindle DX textbook reader may seem like a lot. But if you take the long view–and keep your Kindle DX away from thieves and keg parties–it should pay for itself in a couple of years argues Barclays analyst Douglas Anmuth.
All geared up to use a Kindle DX when you head back to school next fall? The odds are against you: Amazon and six colleges are conducting the most preliminary of tests. Which means only a few dozen students at each school are going to get their mitts on the $489 gadgets.
Even under the best of circumstances, Amazon’s new Kindle DX wouldn’t “save the newspaper business.” But since the newspapers are desperate to protect their dying print business, this thing may never get off the ground at all.
Peter Kafka has been covering media and technology since 1997, when he joined the staff of Forbes magazine. Most recently, he has been the managing editor of the tech and media Web site, Silicon Alley Insider. Read more »
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