# Maybe just another rumor about Kindle price, but MSNBC...



## mayfire (Nov 11, 2010)

Just an hour ago, I was watching a business report on MSNBC about expected 2011 product price reductions and one mentioned was that our Kindle is expected to drop to $99 some time this year. Hmmm. Maybe? If likely, I'm guessing it would be just for the currently $139 model. If true, not so wonderful news for all of us who just purchased.


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

It doesn't make me regret my purchase at all, when I see a price drop.  In February of 2010, I bought a K2i and paid $259 for it.  Then the K3 came out a few months later at $139 and $189, but it didn't make me regret my $259 at all.  I love my Kindle so much, and I figured it was worth the extra money to me for all those months I had already owned it.  Then I ended up selling it and purchasing the $139 WiFi only and I'll never regret that either.  Love my Kindle


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

PG4003 (Patricia) said:


> It doesn't make me regret my purchase at all, when I see a price drop.


Me, neither. It's happened to me so many times, I'm surprised when a price drop doesn't occur soon after I buy something.  

Mike


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## Bonbonlover (Oct 17, 2010)

I feel the same as Patricia. If the price does drop to $99 I won't regret having paid more for mine. The joy I have gotten from my kindle (and all the accessories I have found from this board) has been well worth the few extra dollars. Heck I could go to an amusement park for 1 day or have all these months with my kindle...


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

The only time I really regret buying something before a price drop is if it's an investment, something I was hoping to make money on. Otherwise, I figured it was worth the money when I bought it, and the fact that it's now available for less is irrelevant. 

You can play the "wait and hope the price drops" game, but in the extreme, you'll never buy anything. I just wait for the price point that makes sense for me, and go for it.

A $99 Kindle would be great!


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

I am an early adopter.. I expect the price to drop, but I have still used an enjoyed my device for months by then. K1? I paid $359. (ok not a first adopter there). It was worth it to me then. K2, well, I didn't get it until my K1 was stolen, so I paid $189. K3G though.. $189 from the getgo... and I don't care if it drops.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

I paid $359 each for my K1 and my K2, then $259 for my K2i and finally $189 for my K3 (yeah, I'm a gadget geek) .... I figured the price of the technology would go down over time, so it's good to see them hitting the under $100 price point.  It makes me think about how much I paid for my first CD player back in the day ....


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## mayfire (Nov 11, 2010)

True. True. I do love my $189 K3 as well. Maybe a price drop would convince my husband he needs one, too. Or maybe I'll buy one for my eleven-year-old niece.


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## Bakari (May 25, 2010)

I think $89 to $99 would be the 'sweet spot' price that will make people buy Kindles on a whim. It would be great for those of us who would like more books on Kindle. I think many more authors and publishers would finally recognize that they would be losing out on a huge market if they didn't make the leap.

It would also be great for us authors who are waiting for the shift. It would allow us to reach more readers.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Yeah, no point in regretting price drops.  Just the nature of electronics.  There's always something better and cheaper around the corner.  If you're always waiting on the best gadget at the best price you'll never buy anything.

Plus, I'd expect any drops to $99 wouldn't happen until next holiday season, so even if that happens you basically got to enjoy owning a Kindle for a nearly a year for paying the extra $40 or whatever.


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## racheldeet (Jan 21, 2010)

PG4003 (Patricia) said:


> In February of 2010, I bought a K2i and paid $259 for it. Then the K3 came out a few months later at $139 and $189, but it didn't make me regret my $259 at all.


This.  The exact same thing happened to me.


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## PraiseGod13 (Oct 27, 2008)

I totally agree... it never surprises me when the price of electronics drops after I purchase.  I too paid $359 for my K1.  Makes me think of my first VCR.  I was a single mom and saved for almost a year to buy it... because it was $400.  Now they practically give them away since we have moved on to DVDs and Blue-ray.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

It won't bother me in the least, as I'm thrilled to have had my K3 since late August. I feel a bit sorry for my daughters and my husband because they paid $359 for my K2 when they gave it to me for Mother's Day in 2009. That said, it remains the best (non-sentimental, handmade by my daughter(s) ) gift I've ever received. I'd say they got their money's worth out of the purchase.


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## mcostas (Nov 22, 2010)

It's the nature of technology. I used to get all indignant but it's a non issue now.

I would rather they solve the qc problems than offer a cheaper kindle. But I think the big advantage of ereaders is the better pricerange as compared to tablets. The more expensive, larger, and comlicated they are, they less desireable they are as they have no advantage over what is now a similar item.

A nice sturdy, inexpensive and trouble free e-ink ereader would be perfect. As it is now they don't seem to be that sturdy, and they have a ways to go with being trouble free. I really like mine though and am actually finding it to be more useful since I have started putting my personal documents on it.


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## chuckf410 (Dec 27, 2010)

Honestly I'd be surprised if there's not a price drop. 

With the Android tablets on their way encroaching on the Kindle's price point, deciding between carrying an ebook reader and/or a tablet that does so much more will be a difficult choice for many people. They'll opt to go with the device that does more considering the Kindle app is free on them. 

After all, the people that just sit and read a book are few so the e-ink benefits don't reveal themselves to the masses. 

Just thinking about it from Amazon's point of view, they can drop the price of the device to cost (or below), brag about the number of devices sold and make money on the books sold. After all, they survived the early days of actually losing money on most of their smaller sales.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

As Mooshie says, part of the deal in buying electronics.  Only way not to have a price drop is to buy only obsolete stuff! 

Plus, the lower price will increase Kindle sales and hopefully make more of an ebook market so that big publishers will quit trying to strangle the format and get on board with it!


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

I  have been in the game since K1 - but I  also  appreciate the price drops.  Means more demand and more demand for Kindle  means  more demand  for  E-books which means less  demand for DTB's  - so  the publishers will give up trying to  save them - and  eventually lower e-book prices (we hope)


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## laurie_lu (May 10, 2010)

PG4003 (Patricia) said:


> It doesn't make me regret my purchase at all, when I see a price drop. In February of 2010, I bought a K2i and paid $259 for it. Then the K3 came out a few months later at $139 and $189, but it didn't make me regret my $259 at all.


Same happened with me.


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## Teinouji (Dec 13, 2010)

I still plan to order mine Tuesday.


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## ElaineOK (Jun 5, 2009)

When the $89 K2 black Friday sale sold out in less than 2 seconds and brought Amazon's servers to their knees, I figured a sub $100 Kindle was in the near future.  Amazon would not have done that sale if they had had any idea what the demand would be like, and there is no way they are going to turn their backs on that kind of pent up demand.  

I paid $360 for my K2 almost two years ago.  It was worth every penny.  

Elaine
Norman, OK


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## PhillyGuy (Dec 18, 2010)

This is from the NY Daily News, January 28, 2010:

http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2010/01/28/2010-01-28_for_now_its_whypad_new_apple_gadget_is_great_but_its_hard_to_see_where_itll_fit_.html



> "Kindle does one thing really well at a cheaper price. And I think we might see a $100 Kindle by next Christmas," tech analyst Stephen Wildstrom said.


Of course, this year it is more likely to come true than last. But it isn't definite because they could keep the price the same while adding functionality and/or color.

At some point will they give away a non-3G black and white reader as a loss leader for eBook sales? Maybe. But I don't think they can go to a minimal price on something that has 3G internet without a monthly fee, even lousy 3G internet.

If I was an Amazon marketeer, I might try keeping the WiFi black and white models at the same price, but throw in vouchers for book purchases so as to bring the net price close to zero. This would prevent people who don't buy books from buying the device at a loss-leader price, solely for the internet features.

If Amazon surrenders on ePub, as I hope they do, they would have yet another reason to keep the price up, because if the price was too low people would just buy the devices to read library books on.

The history of PDA's is that they simply stopped selling black and white devices rather than going much under $100. And then they stopped selling PDA's without cell phone features. The K3 does have a sim card and non-functional microphone. The good news is that history rarely repeats itself exactly.


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## geko29 (Dec 23, 2008)

chuckf410 said:


> With the Android tablets on their way encroaching on the Kindle's price point, deciding between carrying an ebook reader and/or a tablet that does so much more will be a difficult choice for many people. They'll opt to go with the device that does more considering the Kindle app is free on them.


Don't count on Android tablets encroaching on the Kindle's price point anytime soon. The Galaxy Tab is $600. Yes, you can get it for as little as $300 if you sign a contract for an additional $700-1200 in service fees, but that's still not anywhere near $139/189. The upcoming Motorola Xoom is going to start at $800 for the lowest-spec model. Pricing for the LG Optimus has not been announced yet, but expect it to be close to $1000. The Motorola Atrix (smartphone/tablet/netbook) will also likely have a price that's WAY up there.

The only tablets that come anywhere near the Kindle's price point are the crappy ones they sell at Walgreen's, which, not being approved by Google, have no access to the Android Market (or any of the other Google apps that make running Android worthwhile), and therefore can't run ANY apps other than the terrible preloaded ones. So that means no Kindle app, or any other book reader app for that matter.


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## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

I'm intensely interested in topics like this, perhaps because in my "day job" I'm a computer geek and love technology.
But as others have mentioned, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Kindle evolve the way some other devices have. They already headed that way with the $138/$189. It's not much of a leap to believe in the next generation, if they come out with a color model that they could do something like this:

B&W/wifi - below $100 as an entry-level type device & folks who get books from the library or gutenberg, or just want a basic e-reader

Color/wifi - initially taking the $189 slot because of new technology/development costs
Color/wifi/3G - initially closer to the original $320 price. They could also combine with the DX form factor

All speculation, of course, but many devices have evolved into a similar model where there are very inexpensive entry models and then more pricey models.

I'm still wondering about the "point of convergence" we're already starting to see with the Motorola Atrix, where it handles smartphone & netbook/tablet tasks. What is interesting to me about this is that my reason for wanting a color Kindle is to be able to get field guides, such as Peterson's Bird, Trees, etc, on something that could display the color pictures necessary for identification. But now I have iBirds on my DROID phone, so my interest level has dropped a bit and I'm more than satisfied with my B&W Kindle because I like the eink for real reading. But I also travel a lot for work, which means I'm burdoned with the following: laptop for work, netbook for my writing in the evening, my work cell phone, my personal cell phone, and now my Kindle because I dislike reading from the tiny screen of my DROID (plus battery drain) or the netbook.

It would be sweet to combine three of those devices into one, but I worry about form factor--do I really feel like carrying a tablet when I go for a walk, just to have cell phone capability in case I need it? No--not really.

But it is interesting to consider how this may all play out.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

I see that several people mention a new, improved color Kindle, but I don't really want a Kindle with color. Am I alone in this? (I realize there's the possibility that, were one available, the nerd in me would think that I should upgrade.  )


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Cindy416 said:


> but I don't really want a Kindle with color.


I color Kindle would be a delight, as long as it is e-ink and not backlit.

I am reading a book of neuroscience now. Many of the charts, reproductions of cell slides, etc. are originally in color. I would love being able to view these materials in color.


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## Barbiedull (Jul 13, 2010)

They could sell it for less if they made a Kindle without wi-fi or 3g. 
You can download books to your computer then send to the Kindle.
That would cut their costs too.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

There are  some  books  that  I won't  buy on the Kindle  like  recipe  books/knitting books  because I want to see  the color photos.   I  would love  to be able to  have  color  as long as I could still have  e-ink.


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## KayakerNC (Oct 7, 2009)

bordercollielady said:


> There are some books that I won't buy on the Kindle like recipe books/knitting books because I want to see the color photos. I would love to be able to have color as long as I could still have e-ink.


I realize that it isn't quite the same, but you can see the color photos on your PC (Kindle for PC) and other devices.


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## patrisha w. (Oct 28, 2008)

bordercollielady said:


> There are some books that I won't buy on the Kindle like recipe books/knitting books because I want to see the color photos. I would love to be able to have color as long as I could still have e-ink.


 I agree. The only paper-using books I buy these days are art/craft books which need color...


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

bordercollielady said:


> There are some books that I won't buy on the Kindle like recipe books/knitting books because I want to see the color photos. I would love to be able to have color as long as I could still have e-ink.





KayakerNC said:


> I realize that it isn't quite the same, but you can see the color photos on your PC (Kindle for PC) and other devices.


I use my iPad, as well as DTB, for cookbooks and others with gorgeous color photos. When I cook with recipes on my iPad, I set it to never shut off, plop it in my under-the-counter cookbook holder, and I'm ready to go.


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## mcostas (Nov 22, 2010)

PhillyGuy said:


> This is from the NY Daily News, January 28, 2010:
> 
> http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2010/01/28/2010-01-28_for_now_its_whypad_new_apple_gadget_is_great_but_its_hard_to_see_where_itll_fit_.html
> 
> ...


What internet features? The people buying them for uses other than reading books are the ones complaining. The interweb features are mainly for book downloading and purchasing, you can get a netbook or use your phone and get better interweb features.

THe kindle was made to be a simple ebook. Look how long it took them to give us collections. I don't see how they are very appealing to people that are only casual readers.

If the kindle helps amazon sell more ebooks, then it would behoove them to keep making it. If people would rather have a device that does more than just read, and they do not mind a backlit screen, then I don't see why they would continue to make it, with all the complaints and problems it doesn't seem worth the trouble.

I guess it depends on what their perception is.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

mcostas said:


> What internet features? The people buying them for uses other than reading books are the ones complaining. The interweb features are mainly for book downloading and purchasing, you can get a netbook or use your phone and get better interweb features.
> 
> THe kindle was made to be a simple ebook. Look how long it took them to give us collections. I don't see how they are very appealing to people that are only casual readers.
> 
> ...


I agree with your comment about internet features. I have computers, an iPhone 4, and an iPad that I use to regularly access the internet. I seldom use the experimental settings on my Kindle, as I find them ok in a pinch, but much less useful than my iPhone and iPad (and, of course, my computers). I can't imagine anyone buying a Kindle to use as a way to get on the internet. (I access Amazon's site, of course, when I'm looking for a sample or a book for my Kindle, and I often buy and download from there.)


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Whether you want a color screen is just a matter of what you read.  If you just read novels (only text) then you don't need it.

If you also read magazines, comics, newspapers etc., then color would be great.

Personally, I don't have much interest in color e-ink, as I definitely just want an LCD tablet device to use not just for reading those type of things, but also surfing the net, watching movies, reading PDFs of research articles (don't need color, but need a big screen) etc.  I don't read color stuff enough to need a color e-reader.  But I would use a tablet device a lot, and could just read those kind of things on there as I don't mind reading on LCD screens when it's that type of stuff which I don't read for long stretches of time like I do novels.

Just a matter of someone putting out the type of tablet I want (bigger screen--maybe 12" or so, stylus for marking up documents and taking notes etc.).


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## Katxena (Jan 23, 2011)

I never use the internet "features" either -- when I want to look something up on the internet, I pull out my phone.  It's way easier, and no hassle at all.


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## Jamjar (Nov 22, 2008)

I don't regret the $189 for my Kindle 3.  Now, I would like to see lower book prices (below $9.99) to go with that $99 Kindle.


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## Belle2Be (Aug 29, 2010)

Cindy416 said:


> I see that several people mention a new, improved color Kindle, but I don't really want a Kindle with color. Am I alone in this? (I realize there's the possibility that, were one available, the nerd in me would think that I should upgrade.  )


I don't have a need for a color kindle. I'm actually really happy with the K3, I'm not sure I can think of anyway they could improve it that I would want to replace it in year.


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## lonestar (Feb 9, 2010)

I don't care if the Kindle ever has color.  I use my BB Torch and laptop for internet so I rarely use that feature on Kindle.  Still, if they made a color Kindle I would probably buy it.


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## jason10mm (Apr 7, 2009)

We can thank competition for the rapid drop in price in e-readers. So long as B&N (and I guess pandigital) are in the fight, we will see pricing battles like this. HD-DVD abd BR did the same thing, then once HD-DVD bowed out BR prices stabilized for a bit, and a few years later BR is quickly approaching DVD in pricing (as DVD is the real competition for BR, not HD-DVD). Amazon needs a nice 80% market share if they want more power to dictate e-book pricing.

I think in 5-10 years we will look back at the K3 and laugh at the crude B&W display. I don't think there is any possible prediction that B&W (only) e-ink will last more than another few years. While the appearance (to us) of the screen is possibly acceptible for quite some time, the manufactures of the screens will have long since moved on, and the performance of the screen will be quickly eclipsed. While I don't think e-ink or similar techs will replace LCDs or other active displays for video and computing, for static image display I think they will remain the king for quite some time. Color is probably a function of making finer particles (if you saw those magnified images, the black and white particles are still pretty big) and then having RGB colors and doing the same thing TVs and printers do to mix colors to produce a wider range for our eyes. Shouldn't be technologically impossible, just has to be commercially priced. Amazon or B&N or whoever will probably have to accept a portion of the price in order tog et it out cheaply enough for it to be practical, then eventually economies of scale will lower the price to the $100 point.


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

I expect the price for e-book readers to keep dropping. CD players were quite expensive when they first came out, now a portable CD player can be purchased for $10 or so. One of my concerns about ebooks is that they could turn reading from a cheap activity into an expensive luxury, but if they players become cheap, that helps fix that. A very basic device that just is a book reader will become quite cheap, while ebook readers with more features will be available at a premium.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

With the Kindle already being $139 for the cheapest model (and I think there are some others out there at $99 already--Kobo maybe?) there's no really chance of it making reading an expensive luxury.

Plus, in many ways it's cheaper as one can buy an e-reader and read all the classics for free.  Where as now it's go to the library, or buy paper books of them (unless you read on your PC etc.).

And on top of that, paper books aren't going anywhere.  Despite what many e-book enthusiasts tend to post, I'm pretty willing to guarantee that paper books will be around (and that most every book will be available in print) for our lifetimes.  With some exceptions with self publishing by indie authors etc.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

mooshie78 said:


> With the Kindle already being $139 for the cheapest model (and I think there are some others out there at $99 already--Kobo maybe?) there's no really chance of it making reading an expensive luxury.
> 
> Plus, in many ways it's cheaper as one can buy an e-reader and read all the classics for free. Where as now it's go to the library, or buy paper books of them (unless you read on your PC etc.).
> 
> And on top of that, paper books aren't going anywhere. Despite what many e-book enthusiasts tend to post, I'm pretty willing to guarantee that paper books will be around (and that most every book will be available in print) for our lifetimes. With some exceptions with self publishing by indie authors etc.


I hope you're right about paper books being around for our lifetimes. Although I absolutely LOVE my Kindle 3, I'd hate to think that paper books might disappear. I love having my favorites (as well as cookbooks, craft books, and coffee table books) on my bookshelves. They've been old friends for a long time, and there's a bit of comfort that I find in that.


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

Color e-ink will replace black and white when the price difference becomes negligible.  Black and white TV only slowly dropped out of the market, and even at the end of the analog broadcast era, there were still small portable black and white TV sets available.

Eventually, the price difference will become so small that no one will produce a black and white ebook reader. It's been a long time since you could buy a VCR, if you want a VCR, you have to buy a VCR DVD player combo. It's just not practical to make a  VCR anymore.

But I think black and white ebook readers will be around for a while, because reading ebooks generally is reading black letters on white paper or e-ink screen. Color e-ink will be more useful for other features of the reader. We may see a $20 ebook reader someday, like we have $10 cell phones or $10 CD players. Barebones of course, just for reading books.

I do think the readers of today will seem quaint in the future, but I won't be upgrading for a long time. An e-ink display that updates faster would be a big improvement.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Cindy416 said:


> I hope you're right about paper books being around for our lifetimes. Although I absolutely LOVE my Kindle 3, I'd hate to think that paper books might disappear. I love having my favorites (as well as cookbooks, craft books, and coffee table books) on my bookshelves. They've been old friends for a long time, and there's a bit of comfort that I find in that.


They will be. We may see a decline in mass market paper back as e-books replace those cheap books. But paper books aren't going anywhere. They're the most permanent way to archive knowledge. Electronic files could be wiped out completely in a major emp attack. Any type of disaster that knocks out the power grid renders them non-accessible once batteries are dead etc.

Plus e-books just stink for any book that needs to be flipped through rather than read front to back since you can only turn one page at a time or jump chapters etc. vs. quickly flip and skip to find what you need etc. Not to mention being a lot more hassle to highlight, jot notes in the margins etc. (at least until we have some good stylus based tablets!).


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

mayfire said:


> Just an hour ago, I was watching a business report on MSNBC about expected 2011 product price reductions and one mentioned was that our Kindle is expected to drop to $99 some time this year. Hmmm. Maybe? If likely, I'm guessing it would be just for the currently $139 model. If true, not so wonderful news for all of us who just purchased.


I wouldn't mind. $39 is a small price for all the months I've had mine. Another thing to consider is WHEN in 2011? Fall? Winter? Long way off. I really don't care. $139 was a great price too!


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## PhillyGuy (Dec 18, 2010)

mcostas said:


> What internet features?


This is a big topic. Start with kinstant.com.

I check mobile.nytimes.com several times a day. The New York Times is apparently putting up a pay wall any day now, but it has been great while it lasted. I may have to get used to twp.com.



> The interweb features are mainly for book downloading and purchasing, you can get a netbook or use your phone and get better interweb features.


With a child in college, I cannot afford a service that has a monthly fee. $189 for the K3 was a luxury purchase for me. I do have a BlackBerry provided by my employer so I can be tracked down when needed. However, the BB is so locked down that Kindle internet is better.



> I don't see how they are very appealing to people that are only casual readers.


I read 3-5 books a month. Since getting my Kindle on, I think, September 1, a little more than half the books I have read have been paper library books. The advantages for me of the Kindle are:

-- Much bigger selection of public domain books than the neighborhood library.

-- Bearable (to me) internet for text oriented web sites.

-- Better for reading medium-long web-based articles than a PC (see instapaper.com and http://lifehacker.com/5736907/send-to-kindle-pushes-web-articles-from-chrome-to-your-kindle)

Given the choice, I would rather read a book on the Kindle, but it does not much matter.

So you see why I think Amazon might be afraid that if they price the device too low, people will buy it for uses that bring no additional revenue to Amazon.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

PhillyGuy said:


> However, the BB is so locked down that Kindle internet is better.


Curiosity: How is your Blackberry "locked down?" My BB works vastly better for Internet access than the Kindle.

I am just interested in understanding what you mean.

Thanks!


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## PhillyGuy (Dec 18, 2010)

Elk said:


> Curiosity: How is your Blackberry "locked down?" My BB works vastly better for Internet access than the Kindle.


First of all, I don't really know if I am supposed to to be using the thing for non-job-related functions; I saw no mention one way or the other in the rule sheet.

As for locked down, you cannot put on applications, or even download files from the net, so no Opera browser, and no support for special BB versions, such as the NY Times BB web app. Also, there is a vast range of web sites that are blocked, such as almost any television-related site. Also, and this is only since they recently switched from AT&T to Verizon, sometimes the internet support seems to go down for a day or two. While there are support people I could call, I would not do so since the job-related uses I make of the BB have to do with phone calls and email, not the web.

Lastly, I commute by Philadelphia subways, and AT&T, used by the Kindle, is the only cell phone provider supported down there.

Full disclosure is that I am a US government employee. Maybe some people will say that I should have to buy my own cell phone, and maybe if there are enough cutbacks I will have to.


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## ShawnT (Jan 1, 2011)

I don't regret for one second spending $139 on my wifi Kindle.

Heck, I didn't regret spending $250 on my NuvoMedia Rocket eBook in 1998, and it could hold a whopping 40 books.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Elk said:


> Curiosity: How is your Blackberry "locked down?" My BB works vastly better for Internet access than the Kindle.
> 
> I am just interested in understanding what you mean.
> 
> Thanks!


I don't have a BB, but I do have, by choice, all options on my phone except phonecalls turned OFF. No texting, no e-mail, no internet, nothing. And I had to argue with AT&T about all of that. They kept telling me they couldn't do it with new phones, but they can. and then you have no extra fees every month.


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## CrystalStarr (Jan 17, 2011)

BTackitt said:


> I don't have a BB, but I do have, by choice, all options on my phone except phonecalls turned OFF. No texting, no e-mail, no internet, nothing. And I had to argue with AT&T about all of that. They kept telling me they couldn't do it with new phones, but they can. and then you have no extra fees every month.


Sounds like my phone! Only, I finally gave in and added texting. So many people just ASSUME I have it. They'd text me and I of course would never get the message. So I'd be waiting around at a meeting for a colleague. I'd finally call to find out what happened to them and I'd get... "Oh! I texted you over an hour ago to let you know I was canceling. Didn't you get my message?" Um... no - which meant I wasted over an hour traveling and waiting around for someone who had no intention of showing up. Nice huh?


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## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

mooshie78 said:


> With the Kindle already being $139 for the cheapest model (and I think there are some others out there at $99 already--Kobo maybe?) there's no really chance of it making reading an expensive luxury.
> 
> Plus, in many ways it's cheaper as one can buy an e-reader and read all the classics for free. Where as now it's go to the library, or buy paper books of them (unless you read on your PC etc.).
> 
> And on top of that, paper books aren't going anywhere. Despite what many e-book enthusiasts tend to post, I'm pretty willing to guarantee that paper books will be around (and that most every book will be available in print) for our lifetimes. With some exceptions with self publishing by indie authors etc.


I have to agree with this--I figure for all the classics I've gotten on my Kindle "for free" it's already paid for itself, even though I bought the more expensive K2 model a few months before K3 was released. I don't regret it one bit. So many paperbacks have gone to the "trade size" which is $12.99 most of the time (round up to $13.00) you have to figure if you get 11 or 12 free classics from Gutenberg, well, you've just paid for your K3. And ironically, most of those classics are going to be in more expensive paperback editions if you bought them as paperbacks, so if you download even ten or so, you've gotten your money's worth. After that, the rest is "gravy", plus you don't have to find shelf space to store the classics.

I love my Kindle and the fact that I can have an entire collection of Jane Austen available to me whenever I wish.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

PhillyGuy said:


> As for locked down, you cannot put on applications, or even download files from the net,


I understand. Employer supplied with employer installed/imposed limitations.



> Full disclosure is that I am a US government employee. Maybe some people will say that I should have to buy my own cell phone,


Not me. Many jobs require the use of a cell phone.


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