# Cheaper Kindles - but there's a catch.... Would you buy it?



## tlrowley (Oct 29, 2008)

According to the San Jose Mercury News, Amazon is set to announce a cheaper Kindle ($114), but with a catch - the Kindle will have ads on the home screen (but not in the books!)

Not sure I like this idea. I think the discount would have to be greater than $25 to make me put up with ads.

San Jose Mercury News article link

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HFS6Z0?tag=kbpst-20


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## AnelaBelladonna (Apr 8, 2009)

tlrowley said:


> According to the San Jose Mercury News, Amazon is set to announce a cheaper Kindle ($114), but with a catch - the Kindle will have ads on the home screen (but not in the books!)
> 
> Not sure I like this idea. I think the discount would have to be greater than $25 to make me put up with ads.
> 
> San Jose Mercury News article link


I agree. MUCH more than $25 for the ads.


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## labread (Jan 26, 2011)

Agreed.  And now we know why they've not allowed for personalized screensavers.


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## NightGoat (Feb 2, 2011)

I wouldn't even accept a free Kindle with ads, it annoys me that much.


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## Colette Duke (Mar 14, 2011)

No price could justify putting ads on a device I own. Boo!

But if Amazon paid me to read on a Kindle with ads . . . hmm.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

I'd much rather pay the $25 than put up with the ads. Heck, I agree with NightGoat, I probably wouldn't take a free Kindle if I had to put up with ads in exchange. I'm sure there are plenty of people who would though and this might be a good deal for those who couldn't otherwise afford a Kindle.


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## ice-9 (Dec 7, 2010)

Any ad would be better than this...










Seriously, Google finds much nicer grayscale photos of Emily Dickinson. Why did Amazon pick that crazy one? If I pay Amazon $25, will they take her off?


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## patrickt (Aug 28, 2010)

There is a cult of men in California who are erotically attracted to the Emily Dickinson screensaver. Rumor is that Woody Allen and Roman Polanski are both in the group.

Ads on the home page probably wouldn't bother me and ads might be better than the screensavers. The fish screensaver creeps me out.


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## J.R.Mooneyham (Mar 14, 2011)

First off, it's an experiment, and might not last. 

Secondly, I personally like the idea of advertising significantly reducing the price on something like an ebook reader appliance, so long as it's as easy to ignore those ads as it is most ads on the web, and the ads don't pop up inside the ebooks themselves.

Third, such a move could help the original Kindle designs to maintain or grow their marketshare, unless and until Amazon finds a way to lower the price still more, and/or adds a color Kindle of some sort to the mix.

Fourth, the discount might not sound like much to you and me, but it will add up fast in bulk Kindle purchases by institutions/companies/organizations, or even merely large families who want to outfit every member. This possibly sizable increase in the number of Kindle users expands the market for us Kindle authors, while maybe reducing the pressures of competition slightly as well (as the more folks in your base, the more diverse their reading preferences).


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

It's live now. . . I just went to Amazon and was greeted by the announcement:



Actually looks fairly reasonable to me. . . . and it's only an option so those who are not interested can skip it. I almost never look at screensavers so if I was buying one now, I might opt to save $25. It doesn't seem like much, but might be just enough for some folks on a tight budget to be able to afford it.


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## Sunnie (Apr 3, 2010)

stupidest idea ever (for Kindle/Amazon.) 

REALLY stupid.  They are gonna take a ton of heat for this.


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## Grrarrgh (Aug 10, 2010)

Is it only available in the WiFi version of the Kindle? And I would imagine that the ads and offers could only get to your Kindle when the WiFi is connected? So it may be something where each time you turn on the WiFi you get some and have to spend a few minutes clearing them off, but the rest of the time you wouldn't have to deal with it? That may not be as bad as I was originally thinking.


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## Sporadic (May 1, 2009)

> New, Lower Price
> When you buy Kindle with Special Offers, you are getting the same bestselling Kindle for $25 less-only $114. Special offers and sponsored screensavers display on the Kindle screensaver and on the bottom of the home screen-they don't interrupt reading.
> 
> Special Offers
> ...




















Looks like a horrible idea to me.


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

I wonder how it will work with a deregistered device or the wifi off?

I could be into the offers via screen savers, but not totally into the home page add, and frankly $25 isn't that big of deal right now for me to consider handing an ad supported device to my daughter.

But the $20 for $10 would be nice if you could get that often..... Lol!

I would think doing this for the the sub $100 price of $99 would have been a better market price point.


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## RiddleMeThis (Sep 15, 2009)

I actually may kinda like it. Especially if they are for Amazon stuff like in the examples. 

I do agree that $99 would have been a better price point.


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## Grrarrgh (Aug 10, 2010)

Tracey - that's almost exactly what I said to Mr. Grr.    If they offered the $20 Amazon gift card for $10 often, I would love that - it would almost make it worth it. 

After seeing the pictures that Sporadic posted, I don't think it's terrible. I ignore the screensavers anyway, so that wouldn't bother me, and the little banner across the bottom is easily ignored. As long as the ads aren't popping up in the books, which they're not. I do think they would be better off offering this for $99, like others have said. But this is still in the early stages; they may figure that out soon.


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## Guest (Apr 11, 2011)

I like the idea. Makes it more affordable. 18% discount for some ads....

The ads are small. Look at how many ads you are seeing on your screen right now from this website  

Now I see why they never give you the option to disable 1-Click...They have stuff up their sleeves.


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## vg (Oct 28, 2008)

I'm glad they are doing this to a whole separate group and not adding the needed software to all of our Kindles - its a good compromise --  that being said, I don't think I'd buy it for myself.


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## Addie (Jun 10, 2009)

I prefer having 3G and WiFi, but if I were going to get a WiFi-only Kindle, I'd consider this. I don't pay much attention to the SS (and since I don't hack anymore, a little variety wouldn't hurt), and I can't imagine having an ad on the bottom of my home page would irritate me. I've gotten pretty good at ignoring banner ads and such on the internet, so I can do that on the Kindle. Yeah, $25 isn't a ton of money, but I don't see the ads as a major inconvenience. Plus, that's $25 I can spend on books instead of the device.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I don't really think its such a bad thing. I mean they still sell the regular Kindles just fine so it doesn't take away from those that don't want that. As long as they keep the options. If you look at the extras you get with it, its a pretty good deal.

As long as they stay away from the books though as far as the ads. Screensavers wouldn't bother me as I don't look at the ones I have much now. Never bothered to change them or anything.

If one gets the Amazon Visa, the thing is practically free. I got 30 dollars off my Kindle 2 1/2 years ago for getting the Card and I been getting a lot of Gift cards that way too. 

I think the fact that the ads are black and white and not color makes them less intrusive. Finally something Black and white beats color at.


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

I don't think it is a bad thing either.  $99 would have made more sense to me.  But I think it will get some to try a kindle.  When the K2 dropped to $109 last summer I bought 2.


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## Anniehow (Oct 28, 2008)

uck... I HATE commercials.  There is no way I would pay 118$ and be required to look at adds when reading. It's one of the reasons I prefer reading to watching TV.

I wonder if you have the option to pay the 25$ and have the ads removed if you decide you don't want them after you've purchased the cheaper one.
Gisele


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## RiddleMeThis (Sep 15, 2009)

Anniehow said:


> There is no way I would pay 118$ and be required to look at adds when reading.
> Gisele


You WOULDNT be looking at ads while reading.


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## NightReader (Apr 25, 2010)

No way!

And, more importantly, if this means that Amazon is NEVER going to give us the ability to change the screensavers, I've probably purchased my last Kindle.

Yeah, they bother me THAT much.  And ads would bother me even more.


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## RobertK (Aug 2, 2010)

If I didn't already have have one, I'd buy the cheaper ad version.


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## Sporadic (May 1, 2009)

RiddleMeThis said:


> You WOULDNT be looking at ads while reading.


Still, every time you put the kindle to sleep or go to your home page to select another book, you are going to be seeing an ad. Is that really worth $25 over the life of your ereader?


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## Tris (Oct 30, 2008)

AddieLove said:


> I prefer having 3G and WiFi, but if I were going to get a WiFi-only Kindle, I'd consider this. I don't pay much attention to the SS (and since I don't hack anymore, a little variety wouldn't hurt), and I can't imagine having an ad on the bottom of my home page would irritate me. I've gotten pretty good at ignoring banner ads and such on the internet, so I can do that on the Kindle. Yeah, $25 isn't a ton of money, but I don't see the ads as a major inconvenience. Plus, that's $25 I can spend on books instead of the device.


I agree, it's not that bad...but I never really cared about the screensavers any how. I usually just close my cover or just ignore it. It is a much better idea then the previous idea that was floating around about add INSIDE the book or at the very least at the beginning or end.

Like AddieLove, if I were going to get another Kindle. I would pick the 3G because it works better for me...so this ad thing is not important to me.

Tris


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

NightReader said:


> And, more importantly, if this means that Amazon is NEVER going to give us the ability to change the screensavers, I've probably purchased my last Kindle.


If having your own screensavers is this important to you, hack your Kindle. It's easy. You then can put on what you want.

Many cell phones, GPS, etc. already have small ads like this. Most people tolerate them with little difficulty. I think the new lower price Kindle will sell well.


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

Did you guys see this on Amazon?


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## kerrycrow (Aug 31, 2010)

Most every place I visit electronically has ads.  Unless they move, or flash...I ignore them.  I come to this site all the time and there are ads..doesn't bother me. I love gmail and ads make it free. Goodreads has ads, etc. I think this offer by Amazon is a great idea...you get a discount and (from the examples) some great offers that would definitely make it worth it to me.  In fact I'm thinking of getting one for my husband so I can take advantage of the offers (he's using my old K1 now).


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## RiddleMeThis (Sep 15, 2009)

Sporadic said:


> Still, every time you put the kindle to sleep or go to your home page to select another book, you are going to be seeing an ad. Is that really worth $25 over the life of your ereader?


Thats $25 I could use on five+ books. I'm not sure if it would be, but it very very well could be.

I don't spend time looking at my screen savers. I read for about an hour, about an hour ago. I couldn't tell you what the screen saver says. I also spend VERY little time on my home page. All of my unread books are in the top collection on my home page. I click the home button, click the select button, and then chose my book. Im on the home page for all of 5 seconds. So is less than 10 seconds each time I read a new book worth the savings?? Probably, especially since in just the time I'm taking to write this post I'm looking at at least 3 different ads.


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## evrose (Jan 7, 2011)

Sporadic said:


> Still, every time you put the kindle to sleep or go to your home page to select another book, you are going to be seeing an ad. Is that really worth $25 over the life of your ereader?


So if I put my Kindle to sleep, I'm not really looking at it anymore... I just don't care what image is displayed.

And when I go to my home page to select another book, I'm only there for about 30 seconds... and I only do that about once every week or two.

I would have liked to see them set this at the $99 price point - but I have to say, it's a nice option for those on a budget. I just don't get all the rather harsh responses here and on the Amazon boards. If they were inserting ads in to the BOOKS, I could see the outrage, but...


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

If I were in the market for another Kindle, I'd get this. Since the ads aren't in the books themselves and only on the home screen and screensavers, I don't think it would bother me too much. The special offers are what would draw me in. Audible books 6 for $6? Amazon Gift cards $10 for a $20 card? Plus, no more Emily? Yep, I could get behind that....

The fact that this is an _*OPTION*_ is why I like Amazon. They realized everyone wasn't going to go for it, so they've given us a choice.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

I wouldn't go for it personally as $25 just isn't much money for me.  Definitely not enough to put up with ads.


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## JD Rhoades (Feb 18, 2011)

Knock the price down to 50 bucks and I'll think about it.


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## Jimmie Hammel (Apr 11, 2011)

I'm more worried about what they might to do my kindle phone app. People buying a kindle have a choice to go ad-less, but if they start advertising on the kindle apps, there will be no escape!... except buying a kindle I suppose...


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

***similar threads have been merged. . . .apologies for any confusion.***


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## johnshaw76 (Nov 22, 2010)

As you've heard, there's a new Kindle coming out that is cheaper and also offers money-saving ads.

But, it still has ads on the front page.

Would you buy one?

Info: Amazon.com Kindle Special Discount--$114 PLUS Special Offers!

New, Lower Price
When you buy Kindle with Special Offers, you are getting the same bestselling Kindle for $25 less-only $114. Special offers and sponsored screensavers display on the Kindle screensaver and on the bottom of the home screen-they don't interrupt reading.
Special Offers
You'll receive special offers directly on your Kindle. Examples include:
$10 for $20 Amazon.com Gift Card
$6 for 6 Audible Books (normally $6
$1 for an album in the Amazon MP3 Store (choose from over 1 million albums)
$10 for $30 of products in the Amazon Denim Shop or Amazon Swim Shop
Sponsored Screensavers
Our goal is to display sponsored screensavers that you want to see. That's why we've created a free Kindle app and website (coming soon) called AdMash. Anyone who's interested can download AdMash and help pick future screensavers. Two prospective screensavers show up side-by-side, and you pick the one you find most attractive. The ones preferred most by customers qualify to become sponsored screensavers.

You can also set your personal Kindle Screensaver Preferences to give us hints on the style and types of sponsored screensavers you'd like to see on your Kindle. For example, you can indicate that you'd like to see more or fewer screensavers that include elements such as landscapes and scenery, architecture, travel images, photography, and illustrations. Together, AdMash voting and Kindle Screensaver Preferences help us select the most attractive and engaging sponsored screensavers to display on your Kindle.


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## caseyf6 (Mar 28, 2010)

I wish you had an option like "I'd have to see the screensavers and ads" or something like that-- I'm torn.  I love the price, and I'd love to see a cheaper selection for the 3G kindle.  But I'd have to see the ads.

I am worried that people will buy this Kindle for their kids; I think kids get too much advertising as it is.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Just merged the poll with the current thread. Sorry for any confusion.

~Luv


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## kindlegrl81 (Jan 19, 2010)

I love the idea of the specials and I never really paid any attention to the screen savers anyway so I will probably go this route once my kindle2 dies.  As long as the ads never make it into the actual books I don't see any issues with them.


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## MartyS (Feb 3, 2011)

I'm also going to say $25 isn't enough of a discount to have the ads.  If they really want to make a reader targeted at lower income people it will have to be a bigger discount than this.  Maybe this is just an experiment that will be the next step.   I just hope this isn't an experiment to see if they can get away with pushing ads to everyone...


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

Not for $25. Maybe for a $49 Kindle.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I'd buy it just to be able to get the special offers.. Even if they only offer the 6 audible books for $6 one time, I'd save over $60 right there... Throw in the $20 gift card for $10 a couple of times and a couple of MP3 albums for $1 and the Kindle will have paid for itself.

And I wouldn't have to see the dead authors anymore.


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## LUW (Oct 30, 2010)

DEFINITIVELY not for me. Though I like to save money whenever I can, $25 isn't _that _much. Well, not enough for me to let my _sanctum sanctorum_ get invaded by adds .


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

When my Kindle is sleeping on the reading table.....I really, really like my custom nautical themed sleep screens (my photos).













































Put commercials in my living room and the honeymoon is over !!.....Kindle goes in the trash !!

Pay Attention Amazon.....this is a bad idea !!  The customer is not saving $25, the customer is paying $114 for commercials !!


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## freelantzer (Apr 28, 2010)

ice-9 said:


> Any ad would be better than this...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Heh, heh. I think this picture of her looks like Sarah Silverman. 

I might consider one of these Kindles if they were discounted more. Some of those offers are actually things I might take advantage of. And the example screensaver ad was actually not bad. I wouldn't want only wi-fi, though; it'd have to have 3G.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

I assume it would be 3G.  

Amazon needs to be able to offer advertisers a near guarantee that their ads will be delivered.  3G provides the control.

It may well be configured so that one cannot turn-off wireless.


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## kerrycrow (Aug 31, 2010)

I don't see how this is a bad idea...with a couple of little switch flips, Amazon makes a product cheaper with potential to save money in the future (based on example deals).  No recreating the wheel, it's the exact same hardware. 

I buy plenty of aps for my phone where the "free" version has ads...if I use it a lot I am willing to pay more for no ads.

No one is forcing anyone to buy the version with ads.  Whether it is or is not worth $25 will be up to the customers to decide.

I like choices, Amazon just gave us more.  You can vote with your checkbook.  That's cool with me.

(P.S. It's just on the wifi only version, not 3G)


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## A.D. Bloom (Apr 2, 2011)

Kindle advertising is one of those ideas that might look good on paper, but terrible in e-ink.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I loathe it and hope the whole idea is a monumental bust.  I actually don't really object to the screen savers as they are now, though I don't think $25 is enough incentive to accept them.  But if this is a success, the ads will get more intrusive in later versions, and will start appearing on other types of consumer electronics that are ad-free now.


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## Hillary (Apr 26, 2010)

I'd rather just save up for the 3G/Wi-Fi version instead.


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## fuschiahedgehog (Feb 23, 2010)

I like the fact that there's a choice - like someone else said, there are lots of phone apps that do this too.  The free version has ads; if you don't like them, then you pay for the app yourself (as opposed to the advertisers).  I don't think the $25 price drop is quite enough though.  I would think $99 or less would be better, from a psychological marketing perspective.


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## planet_janet (Feb 23, 2010)

I don't hate this idea. Personally, I would always prefer to have a Kindle with wi-fi plus 3G, but if that wasn't an issue for me and I was in the market for a Kindle, I would probably consider this one.  The Kindle screensavers are not important to me. I hardly pay attention to them at all, so I can't imagine that ad screensavers would bother me. Since the ads are not visible when you're reading, I just don't think I would find them all that obtrusive.


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## KayakerNC (Oct 7, 2009)

I use FireFox rather than IE, one of the biggest reasons is the Ad-Block ad-on. 
So...no.....I wouldn't be interested in buying a reader that bombards me with ads.
No thanks, Amazon.


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## Colette Duke (Mar 14, 2011)

I said I'd never buy a kindle full of ads. Just now I looked in the two paperbacks lying beside me. Both have ads in them. Huh.


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## Rebekah (Oct 9, 2009)

Not for me, personally.  I'm glad the option is there for those who might want the savings, as long as it remains an option for the discount and doesn't become integrated into regular Kindles in the future.


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## bwbollom (Jul 30, 2010)

I wish there was a discounted / ad version of the K3G. I really want to get one for my mom, but the price is just a bit out of my range still. If an ad version were available that dropped the K3G price near / under $150, that would be pretty sweet! I'll be interested in watching how this does or does not work for Amazon.


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## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

I might buy one for someone else, but the price would have to go a bit lower for a wifi only model.  

And thankfully, other than a few texts to remind me to buy more minutes before the deadline, I don't get any ads on my cell, but of course that is just a dumb phone, used to make and receive calls.. and no ads.

I hate all the ads online but there they are..


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

Rebekah said:


> "...and doesn't become integrated into regular Kindles in the future..."


Exactly my fear....or worse, suddenly a forced "version upgrade" that will put this on existing devices, !!

I am already hesitating to continue recommending the Kindle....and hesitating to build an extensive Amazon propitiatory library.

Are you listening Amazon ?? You are scaring some of your customers...will it be worth it to sell more lower priced units to folks who likely will not buy as many ebooks as your current loyal following ?


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## Guest (Apr 12, 2011)

Chill out people!

This is not like the 1-Click scam where you can't turn it off. If you don't want ad's, don't buy the *subsidezed* version


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## ayuryogini (Jan 3, 2010)

Rebekah said:


> Not for me, personally. I'm glad the option is there for those who might want the savings, as long as it remains an option for the discount and doesn't become integrated into regular Kindles in the future.


My thoughts, exactly!!!


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## NightGoat (Feb 2, 2011)

I seem to recall when cable television first came around it was touted as being commercial-free because it is a service we pay for. And how long did that last? 

Sirius radio, another  commercial-free service we pay for, no longer commercial-free. 

All done right under our noses.

If the Kindle with adverts gets wings, how long before Amazon starts to slide ads onto everyone's Kindle confident that it is acceptable to all. I don't trust them not to. They know they have us hooked, many Kindle owners have invested a lot in the DRM locked books they've purchased. Too much to simply put their Kindle in the drawer and go elsewhere.


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## PraiseGod13 (Oct 27, 2008)

I hate ads and hope I'm never forced to have them on my Kindle.  I understand that they wouldn't be there when I'm reading... but I don't want them at all.... ever.  I discontinued my magazine subscriptions because there were more ads than articles and I don't watch or listen to TV commercials - love that Mute button!


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## tamborine (May 16, 2009)

If I were in the market for another Kindle, I'd consider it IF they had knocked the price down to $89 or less. But a $25 price difference isn't enough for me to have ads on my device. 

As far as the special offers, the 6 Audible books for $6 is probably for new members, and I already have an Audible membership. And the $10 for a $20 Amazon gift card probably is a one-time thing, too.


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## BrokenR1 (Mar 11, 2011)

If they were free I would think about it but only for myself and not my daughter.  But $25 is nowhere close enough to tempt me.  However I appreciate at least for now there is a choice.


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## LUW (Oct 30, 2010)

Rebekah said:


> ...as long as it remains an option for the discount and doesn't become integrated into regular Kindles in the future.


Aha! Now that's something to REALLY fret over .


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

PraiseGod13 said:


> I hate ads and hope I'm never forced to have them on my Kindle. I understand that they wouldn't be there when I'm reading... but I don't want them at all.... ever. I discontinued my magazine subscriptions because there were more ads than articles and I don't watch or listen to TV commercials - love that Mute button!


What she said.


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

PraiseGod13 said:


> ... I understand that they wouldn't be there when I'm reading...


For now they're not there. Who's to say what will happen down the road? Maybe the first or last page of a book, maybe a full page somewhere within the book? Look at paperbacks; they're getting more and more blow-cards and cover ads.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

kerrycrow said:


> (P.S. It's just on the wifi only version, not 3G)


Interesting.

Where did you find this info?


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Elk said:


> Interesting.
> 
> Where did you find this info?


On the Amazon page. No reduced option for an ad-enabled 3G-Wi-Fi model.


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## endhalf (Dec 7, 2010)

come out, you'r freaking out because of this? LOL... If you don't like it, don't buy it...There are plenty of people who will buy this rather than normal Kindle


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## s0nicfreak (Jun 10, 2010)

My first thoughts were that it isn't enough off the price, and it can probably just be jailbroken to remove the ads... however the ads look pretty good, and like things that would actually interest me and save me money over time. I am actually considering getting this and leaving the ads on because of that.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

Compare it to TiVo box (Kindle) which you buy and service (books) which you pay for.  For some time links to ads have been sprinkled through TiVo.  There's no such thing as paying more for TiVo without ads.


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## Eltanin Publishing (Mar 24, 2011)

I'm wondering how often the $20 for $10 Amazon gift card comes up, and whether there are any strings attached. Even if it only came up once a month, in a year you'd have paid for the kindle. It's a strange combination of ads, which most people think of as a negative, and special offers, which many people would like (in addition to $20 for $10, and audible book discounts, they mentioned discounts on certain books... though I wonder how that would work with agency pricing).

I could be wrong, but I don't think Amazon would shoot themselves in the foot by forcing these ads onto all of us in the future. They know how strongly most people feel about ads.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

drenee said:


> On the Amazon page. No reduced option for an ad-enabled 3G-Wi-Fi model.


You're right! I should have seen this. I read over the ad too quickly.


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## SamIam (Mar 3, 2011)

I honestly don't mind the premium to be ad free


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## Tina C. (Jan 20, 2010)

The price would have to be much lower than $114, maybe around $79.99.  A screensaver of an up coming book release from one of my favorite authors would be a great reminder.


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## kerrycrow (Aug 31, 2010)

Of course nothing is ever certain in this world....but my guess is that in the future we will pay a premium to be ad free.  People spend good money to purchase TV, access to websites, books, magazine, phone aps etc. that all contain ads.  In most mediums there is not a way to have some customers see the ads and others not.  Amazon has figured out a way to let us design our own experience which is a good thing.  I am pretty sure if the cable company could figure out a way to up-sell you to be commerical free they would offer it.  Providing more choices = appealing to more customers.  I don't see them forcing ads on anyone in the future when they can get you to pay good money not to see them.

Whether you see it as paying a premium to be ad - free or getting a discount to accept ads is another matter.


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## Guest (Apr 12, 2011)

endhalf said:


> come out, you'r freaking out because of this? LOL... If you don't like it, don't buy it...There are plenty of people who will buy this rather than normal Kindle


Yeah, my immediate thought is the sky is NOT falling. But I can see some concern regarding "mission creep." So Amazon tells me they only want me to see the type of ads for things I want. So I should go use their app and tell them my interests. Now they are going to sell that info to advertisers. Sure, maybe they don't sell MY NAME, but I'm now on the list of "people who are interested in buying X." And if I don't specify my interests, how are they going to "customize" my ads? I assume using my Amazon algorithms, which for me is bad. because I often browse things on Amazon not because I'm interested in purchasing, but because I'm trying to answer a question. Do you know how many romance novels I've looked at on Amazon just to answer questions about book covers, blurbs, or to tag or help vote down a troll review? Yet I don't read or buy romance books. Am I going to get ads for romance novels every time I turn on my Kindle?

And what about Amazon's privacy policy? I don't have an issue with Amazon creating the algorithms to customize my Amazon experience on Amazon.com. But I do have an issue with them taking that data, packaging it for sale to third party vendors, and then sending me those ads to a device I paid for.

So while I don't see this as end-of-the-world sort of stuff, I can see a huge potential for abuse. And whether or not it flies will depend on the level of trust customers are willing to put in Amazon...and what they do with that trust.


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## pawsplus (Mar 31, 2009)

You guys are funny.   The ads ONLY appear as screensavers and in a little tiny band at the bottom of the home page.  How would that POSSIBLY bother anyone  Seems like a good tradeoff to ME!  And if you don't want it, don't buy it.  There are 2 other options!


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## RobertK (Aug 2, 2010)

The level of outrage in this thread is slightly comical. One would think Amazon removed the ad-free Kindles and retroactively updated all old Kindles to have ads as well.

How dare they provide a cheaper option to those of us where $25 is a good chunk of change. Or like paying less in general, and can tolerate a ridiculously unobtrusive ad on a screen I don't stare at. The horror.


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## pawsplus (Mar 31, 2009)

Human beings just don't handle change well.   Even minor changes that will impact them not at all!


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## Picatsso (Mar 24, 2011)

You know what is makes me think of?  Those things in magazines that you have to go through and tear out before you can read the thing....they keep falling out,etc.

I don't want anything "in" my book...I just want to read.  When I'm reading on my Kindle it never seems like a "computer" but seems like putting the ads in makes it more "computer like"...just my 2cents.


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## endhalf (Dec 7, 2010)

Bards and Sages (Julie) said:


> Am I going to get ads for romance novels every time I turn on my Kindle?


Possibly. But look at Amazon home page. Do you see that they recommend you to buy book based on what you viewed? Nope... There is "Related to Items You've Viewed" category, but "More Items to Consider" is based on books you bought and reviews u wrote to that books (for example if you turn down fantasy wich is tagged as "vampire" and "romance" there is much slimmer chance that it will offer you a Twilight). I don't think that they would customize ads based on what you view, but on what you have bought for your Kindle. And I really appreciate this kind of ads targeting. I have found a few books thanks to this. Of course, that's what Amazon wants but that is also what I want... It's win win situation.



Bards and Sages (Julie) said:


> And what about Amazon's privacy policy? I don't have an issue with Amazon creating the algorithms to customize my Amazon experience on Amazon.com. But I do have an issue with them taking that data, packaging it for sale to third party vendors, and then sending me those ads to a device I paid for.


What data do you have on your mind? You mean what you have bought, viewed, read etc? Well, there are two possibilities. Either Amazon already sells that kind of information or they won't do it at all... Why? They have these informations anyway even with our "premium" kindles and this is their own information that you have agreed to give them (since you have agreed to licence terms of Amazon by ordering items and buying stuff). So if they sell that with their "non-premium" Kindles, why wouldn't they sell it with your "premium" Kindle? Or, in second case, if they aren't selling that with ads-free Kindle, why would they start now?



Bards and Sages (Julie) said:


> So while I don't see this as end-of-the-world sort of stuff, I can see a huge potential for abuse. And whether or not it flies will depend on the level of trust customers are willing to put in Amazon...and what they do with that trust.


They can't do anything that they couldn't do before... If you feel that way, maybe you should reconsider shopping at Amazon...


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## KingAl (Feb 21, 2011)

J.R.Mooneyham said:


> First off, it's an experiment, and might not last.
> 
> Secondly, I personally like the idea of advertising significantly reducing the price on something like an ebook reader appliance, so long as it's as easy to ignore those ads as it is most ads on the web, and the ads don't pop up inside the ebooks themselves.


I agree. In addition, the advertising screensavers can't possibly be any more hideous than the current ones...


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## Eltanin Publishing (Mar 24, 2011)

I was digging around and found the official press release which has some more details. A couple of things I'm wondering - those special offers might be a "one time only" deal - only ONE $20 GC for $10, or MP3 album for $1, ever. Not sure, just wondering...

I found it interesting that there will be a menu option to see the list of special offers in case you miss one.

http://finance.paidcontent.org/paidcontent/news/read?GUID=18138797


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## kb7uen Gene (Mar 13, 2009)

Imagine someone doing a snatch and grab in the subway and getting away with the $114 Kindle.  You would probably think that's the end of that Kindle.  Then the next day you would be confronted again by the same person insisting you take it back out of fear of ending up on the web as the world's stupidest criminal.

Gene


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## evrose (Jan 7, 2011)

RobertK said:


> The level of outrage in this thread is slightly comical. One would think Amazon removed the ad-free Kindles and retroactively updated all old Kindles to have ads as well.
> 
> How dare they provide a cheaper option to those of us where $25 is a good chunk of change. Or like paying less in general, and can tolerate a ridiculously unobtrusive ad on a screen I don't stare at. The horror.


+1


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## kindlegrl81 (Jan 19, 2010)

Even if the special offers where a one time deal, you are saving quite a bit with just the ones they gave us for examples.

$20 GC for $10 - save $10
$60 worth of audio books for $6 - save $54
$1 for MP3 album - (assuming average price of $10 per album) save $9

When you add that to the $25 savings you get when purchasing the kindle you end up with a kindle that cost $41, not bad IMO and well worth dealing with ads, especially since I ignore the screen savers in the first place.

Who knows what other specials they may end up offering that will bring the price down even further.


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## chipotle (Jan 1, 2010)

I wouldn't buy it but then I need 3G. I am just disappointed they managed to add commercial content to the Kindle but still won't let people read library ebooks on their Kindles.


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## R. Doug (Aug 14, 2010)

I just did a blog on this topic. Doesn't seem like all that big a deal to me. Now, if there were ads embedded in the eBooks themselves, or if my page turns were interrupted by the occasional ad, then I'd be up in arms. But truth is, I don't much look at the screensaver anyway once I put my Kindle to sleep.

Besides, anything that gets more people reading eBooks can only be a good thing.


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## Guest (Apr 12, 2011)

Even if Amazon provided it for free people would still complain


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

The fear comes from people who know how these things develop.

Are you old enough to remember when your TV screen contained the program and NOTHING ELSE? Now every single station has a network "button" in the corner at the very minimum, and we're often treated to animated crawls of little characters advertising other shows, animated text, etc. Why? Because enough people didn't protest the network button when Fox introduced it a decade or so ago.

In America we are BOMBARDED with advertising, right down to product placement in the TV shows and movies we watch. I for one am sick of it. I treasure every square inch of non-advertised space in my life, especially since I've seen those spaces disappear one by one, inch by inch, over the years.

I'd rant more, but I'm off to the KFC Yum! stadium to watch a little basketball. I will, of course, be driving my new Ford Explorer with its Terrain Management System and MyFord Touch that fully integrates phone, entertainment, navigation and climate controls, available from the following dealers....


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## MoonStarRaven (Mar 4, 2011)

endhalf said:


>


Hum I'm kind of on the fence about this. Well I would absolutely hate the ad on the home page as I feel there isn't enough room for the categories list as it is. and the ad would push even more of my categories onto the second page. :/

On the other had the screen saver ad shown really isn't to bad and actually is nicer looking then the screen savers already on the kindle with just the tiny strip at the bottom saying who the ad is for. I wonder if the ads are the only screen savers? if they are permanent and are just added to or if the get changed out every time you connect?

Another thought just occurred to me that would make me really hesitant to buy it... How much of the already not enough memory space would be taken up by the ads I just bought my kindle and already I have less then 2 GB of space left, it seems to me the whole ad system would need a good chunk of it.


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

The other issue with this discussion (and even more with the poll) is that the vast majority of us already have kindles.  So we are not the target market of this.  The target market are people without kindles (and those that would buy an additional kindle).  Amazon is trying to figure out what would entice people to try a kindle.  Most people that I know that don't have one tell me that they would not buy one because they 'look at a computer enough during the day, why would I want to read on one.'  So the main issue seems to be getting people aware of the actual kindle.  If discussion about ads on a kindle gets people to look then that is a win for Amazon.


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

MoonStarRaven said:


> How much of the already not enough memory space would be taken up by the ads I just bought my kindle and already I have less then 2 GB of space left, it seems to me the whole ad system would need a good chunk of it.


I really doubt it would be more than a marginal amount. Probably about the size of 1 or 2 books. Amazon has an incentive to keep the size low because of the bandwidth costs.


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## kerrycrow (Aug 31, 2010)

Jan:  Is that an AD at the bottom of your post?


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

What I love is that Amazon is offering the people the option of choosing the ads that they like. Go and read the intro box on Amazon's page. If you choose, you will be able to compare two ads and vote on which one you like the most. So you can help control what may or may not appear on your Kindle!

Pure genius. Get people to read the ads before they ever show up on the Kindle by making them think they are helping select content. Flipping brilliant.

I would pay the extra money and get an ad free Kindle. I don't look at the screen savers all that often but I have been known to leave my Kindle with the cover open and would not be thrilled to have an ad there. We pay for a DVR so that we can fast forward through commercials on my tv set, so I am fine with paying more to avoid ads on my Kindle.

I am aware that books often have some form of advertising in them, normally something trumpting the authors past work, or next work, or a different authors similar work. I skip over all of that. It doesn't annoy me but I don't need to read it.

I am aware of all the ads in magazines. For the most part I ignore them and ask myself "If they have this many ads why did I have to pay for the silly magazine?"

I think it is nice to have a lower price option. I think the occassional savings that might pop up will be good for some folks. I think it is not for me.


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## evrose (Jan 7, 2011)

kerrycrow said:


> Jan: Is that an AD at the bottom of your post?


Yes, I believe it is.

Oh the irony...


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## LUW (Oct 30, 2010)

arshield said:


> The other issue with this discussion (and even more with the poll) is that the vast majority of us already have kindles. So we are not the target market of this. The target market are people without kindles (and those that would buy an additional kindle). Amazon is trying to figure out what would entice people to try a kindle. Most people that I know that don't have one tell me that they would not buy one because they 'look at a computer enough during the day, why would I want to read on one.' So the main issue seems to be getting people aware of the actual kindle. If discussion about ads on a kindle gets people to look then that is a win for Amazon.


Somehow I really doubt that putting advertisement on the Kindle will make people that don't want to read a computer screen more prone to the experience. If Amazon wants to make a bigger media splash (to promote the product) it would make more sense if they just increased their propaganda & marketing budget or simply reduced the price of each unit.


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## Sporadic (May 1, 2009)

Jan Strnad said:


> The fear comes from people who know how these things develop.
> 
> Are you old enough to remember when your TV screen contained the program and NOTHING ELSE? Now every single station has a network "button" in the corner at the very minimum, and we're often treated to animated crawls of little characters advertising other shows, animated text, etc. Why? Because enough people didn't protest the network button when Fox introduced it a decade or so ago.
> 
> ...


Agreed.

I'm worried that soon, Amazon will faze out the ads-free model and drop the price of the ads one to $99. People would complain but hey the price is $99 and the ads are only on the screensaver/home menu...what's the problem?


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## Tippy (Dec 8, 2008)

Ads are such a big part of our lives any more.  However, I am tired of constantly feel crowded.  The last place I want to see ads is when I am reading.  That is a personal time and not something I am willing to share with marketers.  At the beginning 'they' make everything look and sound innocent and easy.  But it never stays that way.  I'll pay the extra $$ to avoid the intrusion into my privacy.  I hope I will continue to have that option.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

kerrycrow said:


> Jan: Is that an AD at the bottom of your post?


PRICELESS!!!


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## RChaffee (Mar 3, 2011)

If there was a free, with ads, version, I might consider that. But $25...please, I blow twice that on a meal for the family without batting an eye. I'd pay the $25 and be hassle free.


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## skyblue (Dec 23, 2009)

NO ADS! NO WAY!   I would easily pay $25 to avoid ads.


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## Duane Gundrum (Apr 5, 2011)

I'd be fine with it as long as a number of things didn't happen.

1. The ads don't end up being obnoxious and for companies that I truly hate.

2. They don't decide that the idea is so successful that they force the rest of us (those that bought the more expensive models) into their "ad only" model demographic.

3. Political ads NEVER get introduced into the environment.


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## evrose (Jan 7, 2011)

I'd also like to take a moment to point out that THIS VERY MESSAGE BOARD is ad supported. Without those ads, it's highly unlikely this medium would even exist to have this discussion.

Just sayin'...


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## Nulke (Mar 5, 2011)

Jan Strnad said:


> The fear comes from people who know how these things develop.
> 
> Are you old enough to remember when your TV screen contained the program and NOTHING ELSE? Now every single station has a network "button" in the corner at the very minimum, and we're often treated to animated crawls of little characters advertising other shows, animated text, etc. Why? Because enough people didn't protest the network button when Fox introduced it a decade or so ago.
> 
> In America we are BOMBARDED with advertising, right down to product placement in the TV shows and movies we watch. I for one am sick of it. I treasure every square inch of non-advertised space in my life, especially since I've seen those spaces disappear one by one, inch by inch, over the years.


+1 to this


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

McGee said:


> Even if Amazon provided it for free people would still complain


Only if it still included one-click.

Get your poison pen ready . . .


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## evrose (Jan 7, 2011)

Nulke said:


> +1 to this


No no no, you're doing it wrong Nulke... you have to add a +1 to that rant, and then post a link to your self-published book under it. Come on, get with the program!


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## gramps50 (Mar 19, 2011)

I'm with the majority here, I would pay the $25 to not have ads. Make it $69 with ads and I might think about it.

I will assume that the $114 ad model will be wifi only, so will it fill itself up with ads while it is connected so that it can show you ads when it isn't connected to wifi. If this isn't the case and maybe I shouldn't say this to give Amazon any ideas why couldn't you just keep the wifi turned off except to download books. This would keep the ads to a minimum, but  they  probably already thought of that.


Someone brought up the fact that this forum is ad supported, which is correct but we did not pay $139 to be on here. Registration was free and the ads are not obtrusive. Not the same concept in my opinion.


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## nabrum (Jan 1, 2010)

Dara England said:


> I'd much rather pay the $25 than put up with the ads. Heck, I agree with NightGoat, I probably wouldn't take a free Kindle if I had to put up with ads in exchange. I'm sure there are plenty of people who would though and this might be a good deal for those who couldn't otherwise afford a Kindle.


Disagree. If $25 makes that BIG of a difference between affording and not affording a K, then that person won't have any money to spend at Amazon for ebooks. Of course, they could use it for free ebooks, but in the end it's losing deal for Amazon.


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## nabrum (Jan 1, 2010)

Sporadic said:


> Agreed.
> 
> I'm worried that soon, Amazon will faze out the ads-free model and drop the price of the ads one to $99. People would complain but hey the price is $99 and the ads are only on the screensaver/home menu...what's the problem?


The problem is, that's the beginning. Remember when pay TV, eg, cable, was ad free because we we paid for it? Now you pay AND get inundated with ads.

It's only the beginning. Will the future ads have sound also? No thanks, I'll stick with my K4PC netbook.


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## nabrum (Jan 1, 2010)

evrose said:


> I'd also like to take a moment to point out that THIS VERY MESSAGE BOARD is ad supported. Without those ads, it's highly unlikely this medium would even exist to have this discussion.
> 
> Just sayin'...


But......
We didn't PAY anything to read this board. So we read a "free" board knowing there will be ads to support it. Not the same as saving a lousy $25 for a K.

Just sayin'


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

Jan Strnad said:


> "...In America we are BOMBARDED with advertising, right down to product placement in the TV shows and movies we watch. I for one am sick of it. I treasure every square inch of non-advertised space in my life, especially since I've seen those spaces disappear one by one, inch by inch, over the years..."


Thanks for putting my feelings into great words !


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## KyahCA (Mar 7, 2011)

Hm, I don't think I'd really mind the ads all that much. It's only on the menus, and they don't take up much space. I don't see why people would hate it so much.


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## mrscottishman (May 18, 2010)

Tacky. Just Tacky. Interruption marketing has been failing for at least the last decade. I have never bought a single thing because of an internet pop up, banner, spam or other ad forced upon me. Now spam on your Kindle?!?! 

I go to the internet to do my research when I am ready to buy something not the other way around. I actually think that we have so many commercials and interruptions that it is affecting our society. Hardly anyone has manners anymore. I can't listen to XM radio with children in the car now without some ad about making this body part bigger or this one smaller that children just don't need to hear and for that matter I don't either!

Then there is the issue of someone trying to figure out what ads I would be susceptible to. Targeted ads mean they are shooting something at me. I don't want to be anyone's target. I want to live in peace. That is why I use my ipod so much when I have xm in the car. 

Didn't someone think that this would hurt the image of the Kindle being a virtual book? Now they are making virtual billboard versions.

I can't believe it, but even doctors are getting into this ad madness. The drug companies are giving out neck ties with ads on them.  The stationary, the prescription pads, ink pens and magazines all with ads or just plain are a commercial. My doctor must have got his degree on Madison Avenue.

What is next?

"This sermon is brought to you by the AAA Bonding and Bail company. If you should sin, slip up and fail, you'll get one call at the jail, make it to us and we will go your bail!"

Is nothing sacred?
Good grief!
Scott


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## KyahCA (Mar 7, 2011)

The ad is like half an inch thick, I'm sure after a while, you wouldn't even notice. Sure the price drop isn't very big, it does after all make a difference. There's like a, what, $26 difference? You could use that $26 to buy like 5 books! Or it could go towards a new case.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Still not seeing what the fuss is about. Amazon isn't pushing this on all Kindles, it's an option. If you don't want it or don't like it, then don't buy it. I expect that several of the people who are complaining about the ads will complain when they don't have access to the special offers.

I also find it ironic that some of the people that are complaining about it are people that have book covers and/or links to their blogs/websites/books in their signatures here. Aren't those ads?


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## BonnieBlythe (Oct 11, 2010)

I'm going to have to say yes. I'm that cheap, I guess. I wouldn't mind the ads--prolly wouldn't even notice them as I'm ADD, and if I do, sounds like they'll have some good discounts available. I've been waiting to buy one until the price comes down a bit more and so I plan to when they're available on May 3. 

Where I draw the line is ads IN the text of the books, but I have NO doubt that is coming. Seems unavoidable 

Bonnie


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## ValeriGail (Jan 21, 2010)

I've only read the first page, so not sure whats all been said...

At first, I thought "no way!  But then I read their intro to it and saw the screen shots of the kindle with the adds and I thought, "well, that ain't to bad".  I wish they had lowered it to the $99 price point though.  But, I may consider this version for the kindle I'm saving up for for hubby.  I'd love to know when the gift cards are on sale, cause I always miss those sales by minutes it seem.  It would kinda be like little emails of savings coming to my kindle, and that doesn't sound too bad at all to me.  But, we are so inundated (is that the right word?) with adds everywhere that the ones they are showing on the kindle aren't anywhere near as invasive as all the ones I've encountered today alone on the computer.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I think some people seem to forget what company we are talking about. This is Amazon, one of THE most customer oriented company out there. Kindle customers have brought them a huge junk of the market. 

They aren't just going to "sneak" ads on the other kindles like the KGB or something. Just not going to happen. Perspective. 

The piece I read made it very clear, no ads in the books. They do not want to interfere with the reading experience. That has been Number one to Bezos from the get go. They will not get rid of the ad free Kindle. 

They been in the business of fantastic customer service for many years, why the heck would they jeopardize that by taking away options. 

Its all about choices here so I don't see what the deal is. 

They are being incredibly transparent about this new Kindle with offers. They couldn't spell it out more in detail exactly what it will entail, with large pictures and examples and a long list of special offers. What other company would have done that.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Atunah said:


> I think some people seem to forget what company we are talking about. This is Amazon, one of THE most customer oriented company out there. Kindle customers have brought them a huge junk of the market.
> 
> They aren't just going to "sneak" ads on the other kindles like the KGB or something. Just not going to happen. Perspective.
> 
> ...


What she said ^^


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

kerrycrow said:


> Jan: Is that an AD at the bottom of your post?


Well-played!


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## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

We can also turn off the sig line ads here..


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

Not for $25, not for $250. I'm sick and fugging tried of bloody ads everywhere.



Luvmy4brats said:


> The fact that this is an _*OPTION*_ is why I like Amazon. They realized everyone wasn't going to go for it, so they've given us a choice.


Today it's an option, sure, but next next year the option could go away when all Kindles are updated with the Special Offerings feature. Or perhaps the non-Special Offering Kindles will be dropped from the line. That happens in business. I just hope this isn't a peek into the future of ebooks.

I'm seriously disappointed with Amazon. I can tolerate agency pricing, but not ads. I should probably get a reassurance from Amazon that non-Special Offering Kindles will always be available and reasonably priced before purchasing more Kindle editions. Over the next few days I need to formulate what I'm going to ask Amazon, but until then, no new purchases.


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## parakeetgirl (Feb 27, 2009)

I wouldn't want a Kindle with ads, even if it were free. Just my personal feelings.


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## KingAl (Feb 21, 2011)

Geemont said:


> I should probably get a reassurance from Amazon that non-Special Offering Kindles will always be available and reasonably priced before purchasing more Kindle editions. Over the next few days I need to formulate what I'm going to ask Amazon, but until then, no new purchases.


Why bother asking them? Would you actually believe them if they said that a non-ad version would be available forever?


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## Masonity (Oct 20, 2009)

If Amazon offered to credit my account £20 in exchange for me flashing to a ad-based firmware I'd probably consider it. If I was buying new, it#'d almost certainly be my choice.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm a 'glass half full' type of person. So rather than jumping immediately to "this is the end of civilization as we know it", what occurs to me is: if Amazon has the technology to change 'sleepsaver' pictures, perhaps soon they'll offer spleep picture packages. . . .so, for instance, you could buy, for a nominal amount, the, "disney princess" package, or the "Hitchhiker's guide" package, etc.

Of course, Amazon would have to have the rights to distribute things, so the various packages could be priced differently, and the ones with strictly public domain images would be cheaper.

Artists could even sell their own packages much as writers can now sell their own books. I think a LOT of people would really go for that.

It also opens the way for a 'themed' Kindle for sale: You could buy an 'In Death" Kindle, say, for something less than the price of the Kindle plus all titles, plus a sleep picture package -- and maybe even a special cover.

And, I'll say again, if I was buying now, or had a friend who wanted one but wanted to save money as much as possible, I'd have no hesitation buying/recommending the cheaper option -- except it won't really be available for a few weeks. 

I've been an Amazon customer for YEARS -- almost as long as they've been around -- and I find them to be a customer oriented company dedicated to providing great service. On a corporate level, they are open and honest with their customers so I'm not worried about them turning to the dark side. Past performance may not be a _guarantee_ of future performance, but I do think the behavioral history is an indication of future actions.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

> It also opens the way for a 'themed' Kindle for sale: You could buy an 'In Death" Kindle, say, for something less than the price of the Kindle plus all titles, plus a sleep picture package -- and maybe even a special cover.


Sony tried that with their ereader back in the day (ie, 200. You'd pay a little bit _more_ than the regular price and get an ereader with a special author cover bundled with 5 or 6 books by the author. I can't remember the names of the authors that were featured but I think there were 2 or 3 of them--not authors I regularly read so the whole option didn't really interest me.

L


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I remember seeing a "James Patterson" Sony when I was first researching the Kindle - there wasn't much else to compare it to at the time. Don't recall what else was available . . . . .

It also occurs to me that if they have sleep picture packages and themed covers for sale, you could MAKE your Kindle a themed Kindle after the fact. . . .it's customizing by Amazon rather than going to third parties and 'hacks'. Of course, lots of people here are willing and able to do that, but I'd say the majority of ALL Kindle owners, while they'd like such a thing, would prefer an Amazon supported fix to any sort of 'hack' -- if they even care about it.  It's definitely a market Amazon should explore. . . .


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

Sony had a James Bond edition that I was kind of interested in because I love all things Bond. But I am not interested in a Sony and their bookstore sucks. This was before I knew about Calibre and converting and how easy it all was. I still wouldn't buy it today, knowing that I could move all my books, because it is not worth the hassle and the Sonys are far to expensive for what they are.

If Amazon were to do something similar with a K4 or K5 I might think about it. I still wish I could find a way to get Oberon to make a nice leather cover with what looks to be a big red button and "Don't Panic" written on the cover. I would so use it when traveling.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

ProfCrash said:


> If Amazon were to do something similar with a K4 or K5 I might think about it. I still wish I could find a way to get Oberon to make a nice leather cover with what looks to be a big red button and "Don't Panic" written on the cover. I would so use it when traveling.


You can design a cover at M-Edge...just a thought.

L


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## BonnieBlythe (Oct 11, 2010)

@Atunah...I sure hope you're right! I can get a little cynical at times. But you make a good point--Amazon is a great business and I am a huge customer. I think if I added up all my purchases I'd have a heart attack on what I've spent over the years (and have to hide that from hubby LOL). 

I plan on taking the plunge May 3rd, so I'll be reporting back on what the 'sponsored' Kindle is like. Frankly, I'll probably be too busy loading it up and reading all the great stories Kindle authors have out there to notice.


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## mrscottishman (May 18, 2010)

Some interesting points I see here and I don't have all the answers. Here are a few observations from what people are saying.

One: People complaining have their blogs and books in their signature. Isn't that hypocritical?

I do have my blog and website in my signature, but I don't have my book. I am not saying there is anything wrong with putting your book in your signature, I just wasn't comfortable with that myself. I looked at the blog and website like including your facebook or twitter contact info. Since people are questioning that, it raises a good question, "Is posting your social connection  info advertising?" I think they may have slipped that one over on us. Facebook and the like may just be more noise advertising. I email and text my friends. I am hardly ever on Facebook. Maybe putting your contact info even if you don't have a business is advertising.

It is common now for websites to put a float up or a form of pop up with their twitter/facebook/like info in your face. I hate them. You have to click out of them. It is not safe to click on anything on your computer these days. Just another form of "in your face advertising." Mother would call it rude.

Two: We didn't pay anything to be here on this board.

True. I think that does make a difference. We don't pay for broadcast TV and we tolerated the commercials until they got ridiculous. They actually had to make a rule to stop the advertisers from raising the volume on the TV commercials to disturbing levels. We realize people have to fund things somehow, but these days there is no restraint and greed has pretty much taken over. I timed a local radio station's morning show a few years back and in a half hour they had more commercial time than content. They jam it full of commercials and what they called the weather report just covered today and tonight. I don't know what they do now, I quit listening.

I think if you pay for content it should not be commercialized. I have a major problem with that on cable and satellite radio. Satellite radio has some channels as bad as broadcast. I have cable, but roku and dvd's rule around here.  

Three: Don't waste my time.

Think of how much of your life you waste watching or listening to commercials that have no connection to your life. I hardly ever buy any women's products and when I do my wife is the one I buy for so she makes the decisions. A million women's commercials wouldn't affect what I buy. I would think these commercials make up over half of the advertising. At the end of your life how many days will men have spent watching or waiting for a make up or fingernail polish commercial to end. The same goes for women. How many men's commercials will they have watched and pretty much wasted their time on?

Four: There are different types of advertising . . .

There is the old interruption advertising. I think it is a plague now. No wonder children don't have an attention span, they are interrupted every few minutes or even seconds by some form of advertising. I noticed a TED talk where the speaker said that we need blocks of time to think and be creative. When we are distracted we have to rethink the thoughts leading us up to where we were, we don't just pick up where we left off. Because of interruptions we lose the greatest percentage of our potential.

Permission and invitation marketing has much, much better response rates, but it seems advertisers are just addicted to the interruption or advertiser driven content marketing.

Five: Once they start we will all have to live with it.

Probably. Certainly if it is accepted. If we don't push back and it makes money they will carry it over to all the new kindles in time. It will be called a feature. Then that will clear the way for the next level of advertising. Amazon is driven by money. They have good customer service because they are smart enough to know it makes money. Not all companies are that smart, so I give Amazon credit. I have worked for three Fortune 500 companies and let me tell you that in the end the bottom line is all about money. They may smile and talk nicely, but in the end you had better make your numbers.


Interesting discussion.
I had heard Amazon was working on Kindle advertising, but this one caught me in the dark.
best,
Scott


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## teralpar (May 18, 2010)

patrickt said:


> The ads wouldn't bother me either. I think it's time for a change from the dead authors anyway. Plus, when I put my Kindle to sleep, it's not like I sit and stare at the screensaver anyway. I put it to sleep and close the cover.


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2011)

I don't see a problem with it.  Thinking about getting one for my husband, who's currently using my old K1.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> . . . what occurs to me is: if Amazon has the technology to change 'sleepsaver' pictures, perhaps soon they'll offer spleep picture packages. . . .


Given the obsession many here have with screensavers, this is a great idea. Very clever.


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2011)

Just wanted to point out that paperback books have always had ads in them, mostly for other books. I also remember back in when I was a kid they used to shove ads for things like cigarettes and diet pills in them too. I don't get the anger over this. Amazon is not forcing ads on anyone. Those that have an interest can buy the special Kindle. Those that don't can buy the ad free one. 

And please, enough with the "1-Click Scam" garbage. It's not a scam and it can be turned off.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

NYCKindleFan said:


> Just wanted to point out that paperback books have always had ads in them, mostly for other books.


This must be dependent on the genres one reads. I cannot think of a single paperback I own that contains an ad.

I have seen ads in paperbacks however. They are surprisingly jarring, even though they do not appear in the book itself.

I think I would find the Kindle ads as illustrated less disturbing somehow. It may be that I am accustomed to smallish ads on websites and cellphone applications.


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2011)

mrscottishman said:


> Tacky. Just Tacky. Interruption marketing has been failing for at least the last decade. I have never bought a single thing because of an internet pop up, banner, spam or other ad forced upon me. Now spam on your Kindle?!?!


It's not spam. Spam is UNSOLICITED advertising. People who buy the ad subsidized Kindle obviously are agreeable to having ads sent to them.

I seriously don't get the paranoia and frothing at the mouth. Amazon isn't forcing everyone to view ads, and I doubt they ever will. The dual model of a free/cheap ad supported version and a premium ad free version has been around a long time. Just look in the iTunes store, the app store for Android and Blackberry, etc. Even Microsoft has an ad supported version of MS Office!

People need to chill out and breathe.


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## kerrycrow (Aug 31, 2010)

Jan Strnad said:


> Well-played!


BUT! I did buy your book...would never have known about it if not for this thread . Big Stephen King fan and this looks good....


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2011)

Elk said:


> This must be dependent on the genres one reads. I cannot think of a single paperback I own that contains an ad.
> 
> I have seen ads in paperbacks however. They are surprisingly jarring, even though they do not appear in the book itself.
> 
> I think I would find the Kindle ads as illustrated less disturbing somehow. It may be that I am accustomed to smallish ads on websites and cellphone applications.


They've always been in the mysteries I read and in my mother's romance novels too. They are just ads for other books out from the same publisher. Back in the day they would include a little order form to fill out and mail in if you wanted to order them.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

KingAl said:


> Why bother asking them? Would you actually believe them if they said that a non-ad version would be available forever?


If you get a company to agree to something, then it's harder for them to back out. I've spent a lot of money at Amazon since 1997 and I'm deeply into Kindle editions. Do they want to keep me as a customer? Screen savor ads or ad in books are both dealbreakers for me. I can live with a cheapskates who'll trade $25 for ads if there are options for me to keep out of the program, but not a company pressured into rolling out the Special Offerings feature to the whole Kindle line.

And if the KSO is successful, there will be that pressure. Amazon has a history of caving into pressure from outside forces.

My question, ultimately, is should I get of Kindle out now? Or wait and see? That's one reason why I want to see if Amazon will commit to keeping non-ad versions available. If they don't, then its time to leave the party. If they do, they maybe I'll continue to use Kindle for time being but keep a watchful eye on them for reneging. Because if ads do come to Kindle, my investing to ruined just as much as if a house fire burned down a physical collection of books.


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

NYCKindleFan said:


> It's not spam. Spam is UNSOLICITED advertising. People who buy the ad subsidized Kindle obviously are agreeable to having ads sent to them.
> 
> I seriously don't get the paranoia and frothing at the mouth. Amazon isn't forcing everyone to view ads, and I doubt they ever will. The dual model of a free/cheap ad supported version and a premium ad free version has been around a long time. Just look in the iTunes store, the app store for Android and Blackberry, etc. Even Microsoft has an ad supported version of MS Office!
> 
> People need to chill out and breathe.


We Frothing Paranoids are deliberately over-reacting, hopefully sending a message to Amazon, not to let advertising become unsolicited SPAM in "KindleWorld" as has happened to most other media forms....TV is unwatchable, magazines are unreadable, some Internet popups are downright lewd......

By all means offer a saving to customers, but please do not mess with my Kindle


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Geemont said:


> Because if ads do come to Kindle, my investing to ruined just as much as if a house fire burned down a physical collection of books.


Wow.

If the mere vague possibility of ads coming to a Kindle near you is of this much concern, you should burn your Kindle.

Now.

Before it's too late.


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## evrose (Jan 7, 2011)

NapCat said:


> We Frothing Paranoids are deliberately over-reacting, hopefully sending a message to Amazon, not to let advertising become unsolicited SPAM in "KindleWorld" as has happened to most other media forms....TV is unwatchable, magazines are unreadable, some Internet popups are downright lewd......
> 
> By all means offer a saving to customers, but please do not mess with my Kindle


Someone needs a nap.


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

I guess for people on a very tight budget, it could be the difference between having a Kindle and not, so for them a good idea perhaps. Personally, I'd pay extra NOT to have the ads. I hope this doesn't mean they're not considering our requests to vary/personalise the regular screensavers?


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## mrscottishman (May 18, 2010)

NapCat said:


> We Frothing Paranoids are deliberately over-reacting, hopefully sending a message to Amazon, not to let advertising become unsolicited SPAM in "KindleWorld" as has happened to most other media forms....TV is unwatchable, magazines are unreadable, some Internet popups are downright lewd......
> 
> By all means offer a saving to customers, but please do not mess with my Kindle


Exactly!

How has that not standing up against outrageous taxes, public school education failures, the nation's energy policy (or lack of one), health care industry problems, jobs leaving the United States, drug recalls, deficit spending and so on working for the rest of you?

Just asking,
I suppose one man's spam is another man's canned ham.
Frothing Paranoids Unite! (in a peaceful way) 
Scott


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## matt youngmark (Jan 11, 2011)

I loved Penny Arcade's take on this today:


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

There's a big difference between a web page and a Kindle. A web page belongs to someone else, I expect ads to be on it. My Kindle is my bookshelf. I'll interact with the middleman, whether that is Amazon of Smashwords when I buy a book. Otherwise, I want the middleman out of the way. I've read paperbacks that had ad inserts. I would always tear them out and throw them away. But I can't throw these away on the Kindle.

If someone thinks the discount is worth the intrustion, I won't stop them.


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2011)

QuantumIguana said:


> . A web page belongs to someone else, I expect ads to be on it. My Kindle is my bookshelf.


You don't own the kindle contents you buy.


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## labread (Jan 26, 2011)

It used to be that good customers were rewarded for being good customers.  We didn't have to do anything, other than be a loyal customer. I don't spend a lot on books, but it is obvious that many of you do.  I feel it is those customers who should be getting special offers of $10 for a $20 card and such.  It leaves that bad taste in my mouth like when I see my bank making offers for CD's at rates that are unavailable to me because it needs to be "new money", or Comcast hooking new customers with great deals that I can't get because I've been paying through the roof for 10 years.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

McGee said:


> You don't own the kindle contents you buy.


You can. It is not hard to do. Each person has to make a decision if it is legal and ethical to take the steps needed to make sure that the books you paid for stay with you. I won't get into a debate over this, god knows said debate has been done to death, but it is possible.


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2011)

It ain't legal.


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## evrose (Jan 7, 2011)

ProfCrash said:


> Each person has to make a decision if it is legal


Um... you don't get to decide, as an individual, what's legal and what's not. Sorry, but it just doesn't work that way.


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

McGee said:


> You don't own the kindle contents you buy.


Utterly irrelevant. It's still my bookshelf.


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2011)

This website is sitting on my desk in my computer but I don't own it


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## SilverMaple (Oct 20, 2010)

So in order to guarantee ad delivery to their customers, does the WiFi always have to be on for the new Kindle?  If not, it's not a huge deal as many people rarely turn the wi fi on.  If it has to be on, that's a huge problem; the battery life is greatly diminished.


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## mayfire (Nov 11, 2010)

Right now? No. I already have the $189 3G version. Quite happy with it. The idea of having to look at ads before opening up one of my books is not at all attractive and $25 less is not that much of a lure.

But, if I had not already purchased a Kindle, I might be tempted if a lower price were offered on the 3G. 

What I would rather see is ebook prices holding at or under paperback prices, or at least keeping the prices lower than hardcovers. Keep dreamin', right?

Just read somewhere online in response to new Kindle... "Who wants a Spampad?"


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

evrose said:


> Um... you don't get to decide, as an individual, what's legal and what's not. Sorry, but it just doesn't work that way.


There are countries where it is legal. There are lawyers in the US who can point to conflicting laws and argue that it is legal.

I know that there are folks who think that it is black and white, and I know where most of the people on this board fall, but that does not mean that it is black and white.

Which leads me back to my original statement. There are those who believe it to be legal. It is up to each person to make their own decision as to the validity of that statement.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

McGee said:


> It ain't legal.


Incorrect.

Removing DRM on a file you legitimately possess is not prohibited by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Now let's get back on topic, please.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

QuantumIguana said:


> There's a big difference between a web page and a Kindle. A web page belongs to someone else, I expect ads to be on it. My Kindle is my bookshelf.


Excellent observation.

This may well be the emotional distinction which inspires strong reactions by many.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

patrickt said:


> There is a cult of men in California who are erotically attracted to the Emily Dickinson screensaver. Rumor is that Woody Allen and Roman Polanski are both in the group.


That's one very good reason to not live in California. 

I voted "yes" on the survey.


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2011)

Elk said:


> Incorrect.
> 
> Removing DRM on a file you legitimately possess is not prohibited by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.


*WRONG*

The case you're referring to is apple only


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

$25 is a pretty good savings. I'm seriously thinking of getting that one for my mother.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I'm not sure how this went from an ad-supported kindle to the legalities and/or ethics of removing DRM. I'm sure we can start a new thread for that or dig up one of the hundreds of threads on the subject already...

Let's get back to talking about whether or not you'd buy the ad-supported Kindle....

I already one-clicked for one.. I'm giving it to my husband.


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## Zion34 (May 20, 2009)

I don't mind the ads at all. For the $25 reduction I think it is totally worth it. Besides, you know a hack will come out very soon that disables these ads anyway.


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2011)

There could be a hack and then amazon could just blacklist the kindle


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## Josh_Stallings (Mar 18, 2011)

I hate the idea of ads on my beloved kindle.  Ads have taken over every piece of public space available.  I remember Candlestick Park before it was branded.  Huge building are now rapped in ads.  But please keep ads out of my bedroom. Enough is really too much.


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## ReneAZ (Jan 1, 2011)

Josh_Stallings said:


> I hate the idea of ads on my beloved kindle. Ads have taken over every piece of public space available. I remember Candlestick Park before it was branded. Huge building are now rapped in ads. But please keep ads out of my bedroom. Enough is really too much.


My sentiments exactly! I am so sick of advertising everywhere on everything.

I'll pay the higher price to not have it on my Kindle.


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## Feylamia (Mar 21, 2011)

ProfCrash said:


> If Amazon were to do something similar with a K4 or K5 I might think about it. I still wish I could find a way to get Oberon to make a nice leather cover with what looks to be a big red button and "Don't Panic" written on the cover. I would so use it when traveling.


+1



matt youngmark said:


> I loved Penny Arcade's take on this today:












I like the idea of the discounted Kindle because ultimately, the more Kindles amazon sells, the more people will buy Kindle editions and the more attractive the Kindle platform will become to publishers and authors. Ergo: More books and cheaper books for us.
The screensaver issue bugs me though - I'd been hoping they'd introduce the option to add our own screensavers without a hack. This seems less likely now.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

I just dropped by this thread to see how opinion is running. When the first threads about this "discounted" Kindle appeared, I confess to thinking it was a joke. I'd rather save for an extra month or two and pay more than ever have to look at an ad, and for those who feel differently, I'd expect a free Kindle as incentive to put up with ads would be more the way to go than a measly $25 off, but the range of different opinions is interesting.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

McGee said:


> *WRONG*
> 
> The case you're referring to is apple only


Fortunately not.

And it isn't based on common law. This is a statutory issue.


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

Geemont said:


> I can tolerate agency pricing, but not ads.


I actually feel exactly the reverse. I've considered buying a 2nd Kindle as a loaner, and this is making that idea even more appealing - the device wouldn't get a whole lot of use, and I'd get access to deals I wouldn't otherwise.

For me, the ongoing drain on the pocketbook caused by Agency pricing is far worse.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Basilius said:


> I actually feel exactly the reverse. I've considered buying a 2nd Kindle as a loaner, and this is making that idea even more appealing - the device wouldn't get a whole lot of use, and I'd get access to deals I wouldn't otherwise.
> 
> For me, the ongoing drain on the pocketbook caused by Agency pricing is far worse.


I want it for the deals too... If I take advantage of the 6 audible books for $6 and the $20 gift card for $10, I'll save $72 with just those 2 deals alone...gift cards and audible books are something I buy all the time anyway!


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## kerrycrow (Aug 31, 2010)

I would have loved to listen in when Amazon execs discussed the price point on this offering.

Because as much as people are crying and whining about an offering that they don't think is worth it (and doesn't effect them in the slightest if they don't want to buy it),  I feel certain that HAD the price point BEEN $99 dollars that the hue and cry would have been out of control ...this thread would be double in length...with those that bought the non - Special Offer Kindles complaining they were ripped off.  My guess is that they could have priced it lower but didn't  because it's a test for which there is no need to anger current customers.  But amazingly, people can still get upset and angry...


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## dablab (Feb 10, 2009)

I would buy one in a minute to replace my K2 if the price point was $99.  I am tempted at $114 but don't think I will press the button, my K2 works fine.  The ads will not bother me, when I am done reading I close my cover so won't see screen saver anyway and the only time I am on my home page is to select a new book.  I see more ads on websites.

Dot


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Heather, are you going to get the $114 Kindle? Okay, just read pg. 7 where you said you bought 1. Heather, what device do you listen to the audible on?

Toby


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Toby said:


> Heather, are you going to get the $114 Kindle?
> 
> Toby


I've already ordered one... (Thanks to a recent unexpected Amazon gift card) Unless I change my mind in the next 2 weeks, it will be here May 3rd.


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Heather, is it your Birthday? I am referring to gift certain.?


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## kerrycrow (Aug 31, 2010)

Luvmy4brats said:


> I've already ordered one... (Thanks to a recent unexpected Amazon gift card) Unless I change my mind in the next 2 weeks, it will be here May 3rd.


).

Cool...very interested in what you think of the "offers"...that is the main reason I would get it (for hubby to replace my K1 that he is using). I don't have an Amazon Visa and I see they are offering $40 gift card on that so would bring the K price down to $74 (theoretically). We spend a ton of money at Amazon (Prime, Audible etc.) so was thinking about the Visa anyway....


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

I just had a K3 delivered and the news of the $114 model does not bother me in the least bit. I wanted the K3 3G, so the ad version was not an option for me. And I would prefer to pay the extra cash for the Kindle with no ads. It is great that some of the ads will be gift certificates and discounts but that would mean I have to read the ads in order to get the benefits. I have a feeling that they will have an established rotation and you will need to go through a certain number of non-benefit ads before getting to an ad with benefits.

I think that it is a great option for folks who are looking for a good deal on a Kindle. I think that the ads will be easy enough to avoid that they should not be annoying. I think that the benefit ads are a brilliant idea since they will get people to at least glance at the ads before turning on their Kindles.

I am not worried that they will bring ads onto existing Kindles. I think that Amazon is well aware that would be a PR nightmare and will want to avoid that like the plague. 

I would love to know how they got to $114. The number seems so random but we all know that it is not.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Toby said:


> Heather, is it your Birthday? I am referring to gift certain.?


Not my birthday, it was a "thank you" gift.


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

mrscottishman said:


> Frothing Paranoids Unite! (in a peaceful way)


New thread


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## Rick Chesler (Jul 17, 2010)

Within the next 5 years there'll be a free version with ads.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

Elk said:


> If the mere vague possibility of ads coming to a Kindle near you is of this much concern, you should burn your Kindle.
> 
> Now.
> 
> Before it's too late.


I was thinking more along the lines of a hammer and nail being driven through the Kindle screen at the Seattle HQ for dramatic effect. The fire marshall might object to a blaze and raise legal complications. 

But the fact is I've invested in purchasing a few hundred Kindle books since 2008. I'd hate to lose access if only KSO will available and my current Kindle needed to be replaced. There is a concept in social and business interactions that says "Silence implies consent." If Amazon were not to hear enough negative response to the KSO, they might well justify removing the ad-free versions from the line.

I want to be sure Amazon hears may negative views of ads loud and clear. Ads are a dealbreaker and they will lose me was a customer if don't continue to make ad-free versions always available. I don't like giving too much credence to the anti-DRM sect, but the inability to obtain an ad-free Kindle in future would effectively restrict legal access to books I've already purchased. If you don't like or want ads, you need your voice to be heard, and not meekly say nothing.


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

> I also find it ironic that some of the people that are complaining about it are people that have book covers and/or links to their blogs/websites/books in their signatures here. Aren't those ads?


Absolutely! When I get something for free, like this board, I expect and tolerate ads...and I'm not above adding my own voice to the clutter.

When I paid for my Kindle, I paid for an ad-free device. The question was, would I go for the ads-added version to save 25 bucks, and my answer is "Heck, no!" Then I added the worry that the ads-added version would become THE version and I'd be stuck with ads on my next Kindle when this one breaks. That worry may be pure paranoia, but prior experience indicates that it's not entirely unfounded.

Now, if I were offered a FREE Kindle in return for a lifetime of ads, my attitude might be different.

I'd definitely put up with ads on my cell phone if I got free service, and I'd drive a car decked out like a Nascar nightmare if somebody gave it to me for free. But when I'm paying for something, my priorities change.

And BTW, I always hated those cigarette ads in my paperbacks!


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## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

It's not worth it to me to have to skip through ADs just to save $25 on a Kindle.
But as others said, it's worth it if the Kindle is free.

As also mentioned earlier, I fear that we may end up with them whether we pay less or not. It's the old chant that the cable people used to force themselves into our homes. "Sure it costs $35.00 a month, honey, but there won't be any ads!" Right. Now here we are, paying outrageous sums for the privilege of viewing ads on cable/satellite TV.

I enjoy my AD-free Kindle for now. Who knows how long this nirvana will last?


----------



## kdawna (Feb 16, 2009)

I just ordered one. I want the improved features of the K3. My K2 isn't as crisp to read as I would like and I absolutely hate the old screensavers. I have yet to try to hack it  but will maybe try when I get my new one. The longer battery life appeals to me. I get tired of charging mine so much, and I do read alot! I also wanted the lighted cover so I ordered one of those also.
Brenda B.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Geemont said:


> the inability to obtain an ad-free Kindle in future would effectively restrict legal access to books I've already purchased.


How is this the case?

You wouldn't like the ads, but you would still have equal access to your books.



> If you don't like or want ads, you need your voice to be heard, and not meekly say nothing.


Absolutely. I hope those that are distressed with the idea have already contacted Amazon.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

I never thought the day would come that Elk and I would see eye to eye on anything. (goes to mark her calendar)

I enjoy the discussion but posting here is not going to accomplish much. Sending feedback to Amazon will go farther then simply posting on this board or any other board.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

ProfCrash said:


> I never thought the day would come that Elk and I would see eye to eye on anything. (goes to mark her calendar)


I hope this is a good thing.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

Elk said:


> I hope this is a good thing.


Yup it is. (winks)


----------



## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

In general, not specifically Kindle related, ads are enormously irritating to me.  I pay a fortune for cable TV and a one hour show has at least 20 minutes, possibly more, of commercials.  For years I had to deal with telemarketers harassing me all day long.  Thank goodness for the do not call list.  Billboards are in my face everywhere I travel.  Some of the most beautiful views on my mountain drives are now obstructed.  I had XM radio in my vehicle, but again, paying for ad free radio did not last long.  Our world is market driven.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

Yup it is. 

I love my DVR.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Me too, Prof.  I record my shows during the week and watch them on the weekend.


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

Rick Chesler said:


> Within the next 5 years there'll be a free version with ads.


In 5 years, the price of an e-reader will probably have decreased dramatically. I spent $250 for a portable CD player in 1985, and before long you could get a $10 player that was much better than the $250 player I had. If the price really drops, it could be that it drops to the point where a discount for an ad-supported player would be insignificant.


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

QuantumIguana said:


> In 5 years, the price of an e-reader will probably have decreased dramatically. I spent $250 for a portable CD player in 1985, and before long you could get a $10 player that was much better than the $250 player I had. If the price really drops, it could be that it drops to the point where a discount for an ad-supported player would be insignificant.


The price already has dropped significantly. I originally paid close to $500 for my first kindle, not even 3 years ago.


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

KindleChickie said:


> The price already has dropped significantly. I originally paid close to $500 for my first kindle, not even 3 years ago.


I agree, and it probably will keep dropping.


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## skyblue (Dec 23, 2009)

The price drop has even gotten my hubby interested in the Kindle.   He purchased one for me a couple years ago but had no interest in one for himself.  When he heard how low the price was dropping he started asking all sorts of questions.  Last night he even picked mine up and asked how to use it!    When I outlined the differences in the cost, his first comment was, " No ads!"


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

I am ordering one of these for a girlfriend. I am trying to talk her into self publishing and want her to become familiar with the kindle. I just got off the phone with her and decided to do it.


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## teralpar (May 18, 2010)

dablab said:


> I would buy one in a minute to replace my K2 if the price point was $99. I am tempted at $114 but don't think I will press the button, my K2 works fine. The ads will not bother me, when I am done reading I close my cover so won't see screen saver anyway and the only time I am on my home page is to select a new book. I see more ads on websites.
> 
> Dot


I feel the exact same way. I would buy one in a heartbeat if the price was $99. At $114, I'm not so sure.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Less than $100 is clearly an emotional trigger.  I have trouble accepting that another $15 is really the issue.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

For me, I don't think I'd take it with the ads even if it's free.  $140 just isn't a big chunk of change to me though, so I can more easily justify paying to avoid ads than people on tighter budgets.


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## Tuttle (Jun 10, 2010)

I'll agree that less than $100 is an emotional trigger, but I really would have expected this to have been priced at $99 because of that. I don't have an issue with it existing, but if I could I'd stick with non-ad versions. Of course I'm also sticking with my kindle 2 currently


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

Tuttle said:


> I'll agree that less than $100 is an emotional trigger, but I really would have expected this to have been priced at $99 because of that. I don't have an issue with it existing, but if I could I'd stick with non-ad versions. Of course I'm also sticking with my kindle 2 currently


The fact that it is such an emotional trigger price point makes me wonder why we all know it.... and amazon's marketing folks don't?!?!?!

I guess that will be the "Christmas Season" price point......


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## MartyS (Feb 3, 2011)

TraceyC/FL said:


> The fact that it is such an emotional trigger price point makes me wonder why we all know it.... and amazon's marketing folks don't?!?!?!


That's why I think this is an experiment, they need to find out if the ads work so sponsors will pay for them, but they didn't want to lose too much money on the Kindles doing it in case they didn't get enough from sponsors to cover the discount, so the discount isn't that big.

Do any companies make money off those sponsored netbooks they practically give away? That would be the most similar marketing idea to this kindle with ads.


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

The netbooks are really just cell phones as a model.  The money is made from the $60 a month plan.  They cost about $1800 in the end for a machine that is work about $250.  So I don't really think that is a good comparison.

I think a newspaper is a better comparison.  The advertising covers the real cost of production and the subscription cover the incremental cost for delivery.  But the newspaper world is dying because the ads no longer cover the production so they are increasing the subscriptions to cover the actual production costs.  And people just don't want to pay.  This should be much less intrusive than a newspaper because it is only when turn on and off or choose a new book that you will see anything.


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## unwellnana (Apr 14, 2011)

Interesting


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## ScottB (Aug 25, 2010)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13047300

Sounds like a good idea to me.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

See this multi-page thread already discussing this. 

_edit -- threads merged  _


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## markarayner (Mar 14, 2011)

QuantumIguana said:


> In 5 years, the price of an e-reader will probably have decreased dramatically. I spent $250 for a portable CD player in 1985, and before long you could get a $10 player that was much better than the $250 player I had. If the price really drops, it could be that it drops to the point where a discount for an ad-supported player would be insignificant.


I wouldn't be surprised if we see a free version even sooner -- we'll probably have to agree to let Amazon track what we're reading, but that might be worthwhile for them from a sales perspective. And when you consider that the bulge in sales is in ebooks, the more people who have a Kindle the better for them.

That said, I'd rather not have the ads or the tracking!


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## BellaStreet (Apr 15, 2011)

I just did! I'm so excited! I've been waiting for a while and the price break helped me make the leap (I missed the $99 Christmas special). SO I got the case and screen protector *free* once the discount is factored in. 

I've been struggling with the Kindle app for Linux. It's buggy and I'm not terribly techno-savvy. Plus several of my Kindle books have refused to open. I will breathe a sigh of relief when I can transfer all my titles over to the Kindle reader. It's the first time Linux has let me down--either that or it's Amazon's bad programming. LOL

At any rate, I'm psyched and also bummed because they don't ship until May 3rd. 

I'm not worried about annoying ads--my ADD makes me automatically ignore ads--unless it's something that appeals to me. LOL

I'll post after I get it and give me review 

Anyway, I just gotta say it: WOOT!


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## srmalloy (Mar 3, 2009)

johnshaw76 said:


> Sponsored Screensavers
> Our goal is to display sponsored screensavers that you want to see.


This explains why Amazon's launch partners for sponsored screensavers are Visa, Olay, Buick, and Chase. Obviously, we are _dying_ to see more ads from these companies.


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## evrose (Jan 7, 2011)

BellaStreet said:


> I've been struggling with the Kindle app for Linux. It's buggy and I'm not terribly techno-savvy. Plus several of my Kindle books have refused to open. I will breathe a sigh of relief when I can transfer all my titles over to the Kindle reader. It's the first time Linux has let me down--either that or it's Amazon's bad programming. LOL


Um, I don't think there IS a Kindle app for Linux. http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=sa_menu_karl3?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

Are you sure you didn't mean something else? I do also wonder what someone who describes themselves as "not terribly techno-savvy" is doing within a mile of a Linux machine...  haha.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

Maybe he's trying the Kinde app with Wine. My guess is that it's wonky as hell. I've never tried it myself.  I have zero need for a laptop\desktop reader.


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## china9 (Apr 11, 2011)

What do you think about the new kindle? The one that's advertisement supported.


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## JEMedrick (Feb 28, 2011)

Adverts make me sad   But if they aren't too intrusive, I guess it's not TOO bad...

But I'll be sticking with my ad-less Kindle!


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Welcome to Kindleboards. We do have a thread going concerning the new price on the Kindle latest version with ads.
I will try to find it and post a link for you.
deb

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,61818.0.html


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## china9 (Apr 11, 2011)

I'd buy the new Kindle ereader. Afterall, you aren't forced to click on ads or anything. Saving $25 is pretty good, even if it means seeing ads.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

***merged threads on same topic***


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## Raymond Birdsell (Apr 19, 2010)

I think is an interesting idea.

The additional product sales they will make will more than offset the discounted price.

Where I think they dropped the ball is that they have already said they have no plans to make the ads available to current and previous models.

Not that everyone would want them - obviously - but they are missing out on potential product sales to those users.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

Here is an email draft I'm thinking of sending to the Kindle feedback later tonight or tomorrow. Please feel free to comment, correct, criticize, improve, support, ridicule, or ignore.



> Dear Kindle Team,
> 
> I'm disappointed that Amazon has decided to embrace ads on the Kindle platform: Special Offers is a service that I do not ever want to see on my Kindle under any circumstances.
> 
> ...


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## Guest (Apr 17, 2011)

Geemont said:


> Please feel free to comment, correct, criticize, improve, support, ridicule, or ignore.


Leave Amazon alone!

Get netflix? You get ads when getting your dvds. Other e-tailers stuff ads in the shipping box along with your order. Vitacost does this.

When was the last time you got ad leaflets inside of a Amazon shipping box?


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## Flechette (Nov 6, 2009)

Geemont --


LOL   I just sent in an email asking if Kindle w/ 3G would get a special offer model, and if so did they have a timeframe for it?


I'll miss my Disney Hunks, but some of those offers are very nice, particularly if they offer them more than once  1/2 off $20 amazon gc for instance


Now if the ads were part of the book?  No Way! but as a screen saver + at the bottom of the homepage screen is about as unobtrusive a spot you'll get for an idea like this~
That said I do think the discount should have been in the $40-50 range.


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## Sewnmachine (Jan 24, 2010)

I'm actually thinking of getting one. I'm also waiting for the Samsung Galaxy tab 8.9 to be released this summer. But does anyone know what model the $114 Kindle (with ads is?) A K1,2,or3?


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

The special offer Kindle is a K3 wifi.


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## Starearedkid (Jan 25, 2010)

I would consider it IF the price was 99 or less. 

My husband and I try to live as commercial/advertisement free as possible. We don't have cable. (We use netflix instant streaming for all of our tv shows/movies, and unless there is product placement IN the show, it doesn't have commercials). We don't listen to the radio in the car much, usually CD's. We don't subscribe to newspapers or magazines. 

So, every type of commercial or advertisement we get is through the internet, and we try to block those as much as possible--or signs/billboards in stores, and on the road. Yesterday, we were talking about this and realized that we don't WANT as much stuff since we subconsciously made an effort to cut out advertisements. Yes, we do still want some things, but those items were based on research, and not a case of the gimmees. We love going to movies, and truthfully we haven't been in awhile because we don't know what is playing. (It is cheaper to buy/rent/stream the movie than go to our theaters).

We aren't old either--31 and 30; and expecting our first child in a month. I would love to stay as much commercial free as possible in her early years, because even though I know she will want things due to friends/classmates/etc having it; I would rather cut out the advertisements at least in our home that she sees on a daily basis.

So most likely THE only way I would buy it--and I don't have a kindle yet, would be if the price point was 50-99 dollars; and even then, it would take a lot of thought. So I definitely won't be one of those early adapters!


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## kerrycrow (Aug 31, 2010)

Starearedkid said:


> My husband and I try to live as commercial/advertisement free as possible


Good for you! I try to do the same...no tv at all except the Roku delivered stuff, or I'll buy a show occasionally I "must" see from Amazon....ad blockers on my pc for the internet, and just DON'T EVER GO TO THE MALL. I buy most of what I need over the internet if I can, because it is more likely to be a planned purchase (but not always...I do give in to impulse from time to time). I listen to Audible books in the car or listen to Slackr radio (for which I pay a premium to be ad free). I actually avoid as much news as possible because it's almost always bad!.

I find the most annoying advertising is stuff that assaults me that I can't tune out...flashing ads on the internet, uninvited popups, commercials on the tv/radio that I have to listen to, etc. That's why what Kindle is doing does not bother me at all...easy to tune out, or tune in if I am interested. Still thinking about buying one for my husband who is currently using my K1, but I think I'll wait until this "test" plays out and see what Amazon has up its sleeve.


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## lalapurple (Jan 11, 2011)

I cant understand why people get so antsy about screen savers, its not as if we sit and look at them, they are there as a screen saver, and disappear as soon as we open our 'page'. I can say i really look at the ones that are there now, as i generally 'flick the switch' before i open the cover. Its all personal choice, some want it others dont, if you dont want it you wont buy it.


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## kdawna (Feb 16, 2009)

I cancelled my order. I decided if I am going to get a new one, I wanted the 3G ; since I have a K2 I am used to that. My new K3 will be here on Tuesday. My daughter doesn't know it yet but she is getting my K2.
Brenda B.


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## Tippy (Dec 8, 2008)

Interesting thread.  So perhaps we should be happy with the cheesy screensavers by Amazon.  After all it could be and probably will be a whole lot worse.  I hate ads.  I have dvr and record many things to watch later so I can ff thru the ads.  Have heard that in Europe they are outlawing the ability to ff on dvr to make sure everyone has to watch the ads.  Have also heard a similar plan is in the works for the good ole' US of A.  Charming.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Tippy said:


> Have heard that in Europe they are outlawing the ability to ff on dvr to make sure everyone has to watch the ads. Have also heard a similar plan is in the works for the good ole' US of A.


Years ago an ABC exec floated proposal that fast forwarding through ads on DVRs be disabled. Even the other networks did not support him.

This is not going to happen, even less made illegal.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

Off topic I know, but I read a report a while back that there are plenty of folks who record shows and actually watch the commercials. Or they don't fast forward through the commercials, who knows if they are watching them.


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## kerrycrow (Aug 31, 2010)

Back when I had cable and DVR, I would record shows and then forget it was a recording vs. live.  I'd find myself watching commercials about half way though the program and then realize that I could be ff-ing.


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## Shetlander (Mar 10, 2009)

Tippy said:


> So perhaps we should be happy with the cheesy screensavers by Amazon. After all it could be and probably will be a whole lot worse.


Oh, it can _alway_s be worse. I learned that back in college when I took a Russian history class. But I'd still like some different screen saver options after three years.


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## L0tech (Apr 14, 2011)

IMO Kindle's pricetag isn't bad as it is. I'd prefer to see them working harder on price parity and selection of books than gimmicky sales tactics. That said, as long as it was ONLY on the homepage, and there weren't any other downgrades (still has 3G, free wifi), I'd have bought this one, yeah.


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## NightGoat (Feb 2, 2011)

I just realised something, if you have the lighted cover the light shuts off when the screensaver is displayed. So get the cheap Kindle, lighted cover and only read in the dark and you won't see the ads but for the ones on the homepage. Genius!


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## PraiseGod13 (Oct 27, 2008)

NightGoat said:


> I just realised something, if you have the lighted cover the light shuts off when the screensaver is displayed. So get the cheap Kindle, lighted cover and only read in the dark and you won't see the ads but for the ones on the homepage. Genius!


I love people whose brains work this way and come up with great ideas! Excellent, NightGoat! LOL!


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

PraiseGod13 said:


> I love people whose brains work this way and come up with great ideas!


Fish sticks are brain food.


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## BrokenR1 (Mar 11, 2011)

So what are the feeelings on getting the specially priced wifi version and just hacking the ads out?     I have already customized my screensavers on my dx anyways I guess.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

I am guessing that they will find a way to close out the screen saver hack on the ad based Kindle.


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## AshMP (Dec 30, 2009)

ProfCrash said:


> I am guessing that they will find a way to close out the screen saver hack on the ad based Kindle.


Ironically enough, that's my only concern. I don't care about the ad's...I wouldn't willingly buy one with ads for myself if I had another choice. But since discovering the SS hack, that's become a big deal to me. I like that my SS, as fleeting as they are visually, are my favorite book covers.

The crux for me is that I am so financially tied into Amazon, I've spent a fortune on books--turning and leaving them behind would be a hard, bitter pill to swallow. The device and covers are a pittance next to what I've invested in books, since I read 2 books a week and the free ones don't interest me. I fear that an ad based, no SS hack Kindles could be on the horizon, and then I'm doomed.

I hope that Amazon considers the people that have paid into the perks of their service and continues to offer buying options to those of us who want it.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I have already been reading elsewhere how some will try and do anything to "hack" the ads off this new kindle so they can get a cheaper one. No wonder Amazon is sticking with $25 off. What would be the point of making it cheaper than that otherwise. 

I don't know how they can completely prevent something like that. Not being a programmer, I have no clue.


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## Guest (Apr 19, 2011)

BrokenR1 said:


> So what are the feeelings on getting the specially priced wifi version and just hacking the ads out?


I hope amazon blacklist those kindles rendering them useless


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## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

I'm thinking of getting my best friend one for her birthday. We are going to Europe in September and think she would love it. At this price with the little you would be looking at ads I wouldn't have a problem giving this to her.


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## Alaskan (Dec 31, 2010)

I hate the add idea!  I would only own one with adds if it were free.  I think it is a bad idea.  If I own the Kindle and paid for the books, adds have no business being there unless I want them....I hope they don't try to "force" this on us!!


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## Douglas Clegg (Feb 24, 2011)

While I'd pay the extra not to get the ads, I think anything that helps lower the prices of books and ebook reader hardware is fantastic. Once Kindle get under $100, I think millions of people will be picking one up. This 114 price tag is pretty close.

The ads don't appear to be intrusive, but then I've never tried one of these. I almost WANT to get it just to see how annoyed I might (or might not) be.

-- Doug


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

Douglas Clegg said:


> Once Kindle get under $100, I think millions of people will be picking one up.


I agree! I wouldn't be surprised if we see a $99 price point by the end of the year. A lower price plus the new library-borrowing capability coming soon are going to cause sales of Kindles to _skyrocket_!


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I hate the way advertising creeps into everything. On the other hand, the more Kindles out there, the more potential buyers there are for my books.


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## AnnetteL (Jul 14, 2010)

The regular price is so cheap as it is, and $25 off? That's just a few books' worth. Not enough to tempt me.


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## Eltanin Publishing (Mar 24, 2011)

For those of you who did decide to buy one (or are considering it), the release date now says Apr. 25.


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

NapCat said:


> Pay Attention Amazon.....this is a bad idea !!


Holy cow. I'm with someone upthread - a bad idea, how? They aren't forcing you to have ads. It's a choice. If it's not your choice, then it's no skin off your nose.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Apparently, the $114 version is now for sale. . . .and they'll limit you to ordering no more than 3 at a time.  Neither the $139 Kindles nor the $189 Kindles are so limited right now.


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## slpierce (Mar 2, 2011)

I wouldn't mind the adds, as long as they don't appear while I'm reading but the price would have to be under $100.  They discount $25 but can add the ads forever.  Needs to be more like $80.


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## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

The adds don't bother me a bit, I actually might even like some of the offers.

I'm on the fence right now on whether to get another kindle as I don't _really_ need one but I might anyway. 

To think I could have 3 of the new ones for what it cost me to by my K2.  I knew it would happen though and the k2 has been worth it.


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## Flechette (Nov 6, 2009)

Does anyone know - or have any theories  - about why Amazon isn't offering a Special Offer w/ 3G?  Think we'll see one later on if the WiFi one takes off?


I suspect there are at least 2 reasons that the Kindle SO isn't $99 or less:

  1) it's not just ads, there supposedly will be honest save money offers , like $10 off the $20 Amazon GC. Just suppose you get this offer 3-4 times a year.... $30-$40 savings. That $114 is more like $74-$84 now
  2) I suspect Amazon already has the $99 price point planned out, this is a stepping stone to that event


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## GrouchoKindle (Apr 14, 2011)

I would like to get in one some of those special offers on my "standard" Kindle. The $10 off $20 deal in particular.


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## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

I'm weak, I just bought another Kindle, the $114 one, they said they will be released in 2 days.  I'm sure my son will be happy, lol, don't know about the Mrs.  

Got me one of those K3 lighted covers too.


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

Flechette said:


> 2) I suspect Amazon already has the $99 price point planned out, this is a stepping stone to that event


I think so too! I just hope they'll be adequately prepared to fill orders when that happens because sales are going to go _through the roof!_


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

I bought the 114 one yesterday for my father's Birthday, 4/30. He doesn't know. Shush! I ordered the kindle on my new iPad.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I got notice this afternoon that I should have my new Special Offer Kindle on Thursday..


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## labread (Jan 26, 2011)

I will be very interested to hear how often there are special offers and if everyone gets the same offers, or if the frequency depends on the level of purchasing.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

labread said:


> I will be very interested to hear how often there are special offers and if everyone gets the same offers, _or if the frequency depends on the level of purchasing._


If it's based on level of purchasing, I'll have special offers just pouring in!


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

LOL! Heather!
Heather - That's wonderful news about the kindle arriving for you sooner. Congrates on your puppy!
What is the puppy's name?
Labread- that is interesting. Might be like what Amazon does with suggesting books to read.


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## Solidarity (Mar 31, 2011)

Do anyone think the special offer kindle will be hard to come by this coming Tuesday in Bestbuy when it's released? Or should I just purchase it online?


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Don't know. Order online would be the best bet for getting 1 sooner.


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

I really can't decide on how I feel about this. I need to order DD this week, and can't decide if the ads are going to end up being something I'd not want on a device she will use at school (special Ed elementary).

I also wonder how it will work if the device is unregistered..... Can't wait to hear some real world feedback on it!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Solidarity said:


> Do anyone think the special offer kindle will be hard to come by this coming Tuesday in Bestbuy when it's released? Or should I just purchase it online?


I'd purchase on line if you want it sooner. . . .I'm not at all certain that it will be available in Best Buy. . . .though I don't know if Amazon has said one way or the other. . . .


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## Barren (Apr 20, 2011)

So... who has one How is it?  Inquiring minds want to know?

We already have 2 k3's at home..so zero need for another one... but I'm interested to hear what people think... in total agreement though that it should have released for $99.  They'll get another $65 for the lighted cover anyways.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Barren said:


> So... who has one How is it? Inquiring minds want to know?
> 
> We already have 2 k3's at home..so zero need for another one... but I'm interested to hear what people think... in total agreement though that it should have released for $99. They'll get another $65 for the lighted cover anyways.


Nobody has one yet, they start shipping tomorrow.


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## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

Barren said:


> So... who has one How is it? Inquiring minds want to know?
> 
> We already have 2 k3's at home..so zero need for another one... but I'm interested to hear what people think... in total agreement though that it should have released for $99. They'll get another $65 for the lighted cover anyways.


There are a lot of "used - nearly new" lighted covers sold through Amazon Warehouse Deals or whatever it's called for $40.99. That's the option I went with for the cover rather than buy a new one.

I for one am actually looking forward to the adds assuming they are tailored to what I like which is what it sounds like when I read about it.


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## Solidarity (Mar 31, 2011)

I ordered one!  B)


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## Snapping Turtle (Feb 4, 2011)

My mother-in-law decided that she wants an e-reader for Mother's Day this year.  So everyone is pitching in, and let's hope the ads on the cheaper Kindle aren't too annoying!


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## JA_Paul (Jun 23, 2010)

I'm considering one for my kids. I want to wait and see how annoying they can be, but I really want to get the kids one so they can have access to all the ebooks that are not being printed. So many good one's!


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Forster said:


> There are a lot of "used - nearly new" lighted covers sold through Amazon Warehouse Deals or whatever it's called for $40.99. That's the option I went with for the cover rather than buy a new one.
> 
> I for one am actually looking forward to the adds assuming they are tailored to what I like which is what it sounds like when I read about it.


I just ordered a blue lighted cover from the Warehouse Deals for $39.99 today.


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

I just checked my order. It should be delivered by May 5, Thurs., next week. I guess a lot of people ordered the special kindle.


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Oh, I forgot to say that I have Prime 2 Day Shipping.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Toby said:


> Oh, I forgot to say that I have Prime 2 Day Shipping.


Did you check it on Amazon? They sent out an email the other day saying that they've moved up the shipping and it's actually getting released tomorrow. (Mine shows it will be here on April 28th now - I paid the $3.99 to get overnight shipping)


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Yes, that is where I had checked earlier tonight - on my order at at Amazon. I just got a notice now at 11:56 PM. It now says 4/29. Yeah! I'm all set, Heather. Thanks for your help. I'm so excited & it's not even my kindle. My father will be very surprised for his Birthday. No one else knows about this in my family.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Luvmy4brats said:


> I paid the $3.99 to get overnight shipping)


Well there goes 16% of your savings by buying the ad-Kindle.


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## teralpar (May 18, 2010)

Forster said:


> The adds don't bother me a bit, I actually might even like some of the offers.
> 
> I'm on the fence right now on whether to get another kindle as I don't _really_ need one but I might anyway.
> 
> To think I could have 3 of the new ones for what it cost me to by my K2.  I knew it would happen though and the k2 has been worth it.


I wouldn't mind the ads, either. If I didn't have my K2 already, I probably would have gone for the $114 special-ad Kindle, and use the extra money to by a cover, and it would be cool to have access to the different offers (half-off gift card, Audible discount, etc). I thought about getting one anyway in addition to my K2, but my budget will not allow me to be greedy right now.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Elk said:


> Well there goes 16% of your savings by buying the ad-Kindle.


Nah.. I always pay the $3.99 for the overnight shipping on Kindles... Only this time I won't track down the UPS man at 9 AM. I'll be patient.


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## N. Gemini Sasson (Jul 5, 2010)

Toby said:


> I just checked my order. It should be delivered by May 5, Thurs., next week. I guess a lot of people ordered the special kindle.


Thanks, good to know. I'm preparing to order one for my daughter, but she won't be done with her semester of college to have time to read anyway for another couple weeks. So the timing actually sounds pretty good.


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## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

Luvmy4brats said:


> If it's based on level of purchasing, I'll have special offers just pouring in!


I know what you mean. I counted up the number of Kindles I have bought and it was embarrassing. I've bought 2 K1s, 5 K2s and 5 K3s. I wish they had the cheaper one when I bought mine.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I assumed these special offers are just a one time deal. Will be interesting to see once people get theirs in. 

If they tailor offers later on depending on what or how much you purchase? That would really be interesting, but honestly I doubt that.


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Heather, that is very brave of you. I've already been looking out of the window, in expectation. Ya never know. LOL! I got the notice tonight from Amazon saying that it has been shipped!!!! Whoooo Hooooo!!!!  Just in time. The battery on my former K2 that I gave to my father, is not lasting.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Mine shipped. (Yeah, my curiosity got the best of me. I actually want to see how quickly it pays for itself.) The only issue is that it's due here Friday and I'm going on vacation Friday. It was easier to think it would show up while I was decidedly gone, as opposed to perhaps just missing it. Who knew that one day shipping would have mattered?


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

The next time, you can change your shipping status before it goes into shipping mode for the 1 day. You go into your open orders on Amazon. I did that for my K3, wifi/3 G & had no problems. Sorry that it"s too late for this shipment.


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

If you watch diligently, you can find the black lighted covers on warehouse deals for $25.  I got one the other day.


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Thanks for mentioning this!


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Toby said:


> The next time, you can change your shipping status before it goes into shipping mode for the 1 day. You go into your open orders on Amazon. I did that for my K3, wifi/3 G & had no problems. Sorry that it"s too late for this shipment.


Was this for me? Yep, I'm aware, but I had no idea that the release date had been moved up. As far as I knew, it was going to show up while I was on vacation and sit there until I got home, so there was no reason to expedite shipping.

Because it's a small town we might be able to catch the driver.


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## Carl246 (Apr 10, 2011)

I got one today from Target as they shipped three days early. It's very good, and you don't even notice the Ads. There are two times you see Ads, in the menu with a bar at the bottom of the screen and when you turn it off, the screen saver is an Ad. When you're reading it's like any other kindle, no Ads just a pleasure to read.

Carl


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Yay, I think you might be the first one here to get one  . Is that ad in the menu on each page on the menu? I mean if you have like 2 pages of collections and then another 2 pages of stuff, the ad is on each of those? 
Doesn't sound too bad. What kind of screensaver ads did they put on first, the ones they used as examples? That is if you paid attention to them  . I don't usually look at my screensavers at all.


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

And what do the ads do if wifi is off?

Or the kindle is de-registered?

Inquiring minds wanna know!!!! (and also want to know why the water heater gave up on kindle order day. Hmph.)


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## Eltanin Publishing (Mar 24, 2011)

TraceyC/FL said:


> And what do the ads do if wifi is off?
> 
> Or the kindle is de-registered?
> 
> Inquiring minds wanna know!!!! (and also want to know why the water heater gave up on kindle order day. Hmph.)


My K3SO will be waiting for me when I get home around 5pm eastern time, and I'll try to answer any unresolved questions at that time. Sorry about your water heater! But I actually got my first kindle in the spring of 2009 because our boiler (heat and hot water system) went belly up and I put the replacement on my Amazon rewards card (just for the rewards) and so I had a large gift card balance.


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## Carl246 (Apr 10, 2011)

Atunah said:


> Yay, I think you might be the first one here to get one . Is that ad in the menu on each page on the menu? I mean if you have like 2 pages of collections and then another 2 pages of stuff, the ad is on each of those?
> Doesn't sound too bad. What kind of screensaver ads did they put on first, the ones they used as examples? That is if you paid attention to them . I don't usually look at my screensavers at all.


I believe, although I haven't looked into yet, that you can set what types of things interest you. As far as what the Ads are, I've seen one for OLAY and another for Amazon Books. Yes it is on every page when you are looking through your menus, but as it's all happening at the bottom of the screen, it's really not intrusive at all. Trust me, you'll barely notice that anything has changed. Personally I think it was a very clever move by Amazon.

Carl


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## Carl246 (Apr 10, 2011)

TraceyC/FL said:


> And what do the ads do if wifi is off?
> 
> Or the kindle is de-registered?
> 
> Inquiring minds wanna know!!!! (and also want to know why the water heater gave up on kindle order day. Hmph.)


Here's the fun thing about it. If you haven't got your Kindle hooked up to the wi-fi you can still get the books online from places like smashwords and transfer them from your computer to the Kindle without any Ads at all. As I said above though, you really won't notice it I promise you.

Carl


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Thanks Carl. I agree, good move by Amazon to have that one as an option. 

I am curious how the ads change over time. I am sure they'll be getting more sponsors if that thing takes off.


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

Carl246 said:


> Here's the fun thing about it. If you haven't got your Kindle hooked up to the wi-fi you can still get the books online from places like smashwords and transfer them from your computer to the Kindle without any Ads at all. As I said above though, you really won't notice it I promise you.
> 
> Carl


So the ads wont show up on it at all if you never put it on wifi?

This kindle isn't for me, it is for my 11yo Special Needs DD, who will be using it at school, hence the worry over the ads. As a single mom whose ex doesn't feel he needs to buy 1/2 of this.... Well, the $25 is a decent savings right now. She needs it for her vision issues and right now reading more than the bare minimum just zaps her.

Thanks for the feedback on this - with the great water heater issue this morning I won't be able to order until the same ex gets back into town and pays his 1/2 of that....


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## Carl246 (Apr 10, 2011)

TraceyC/FL said:


> So the ads wont show up on it at all if you never put it on wifi?
> 
> This kindle isn't for me, it is for my 11yo Special Needs DD, who will be using it at school, hence the worry over the ads. As a single mom whose ex doesn't feel he needs to buy 1/2 of this.... Well, the $25 is a decent savings right now. She needs it for her vision issues and right now reading more than the bare minimum just zaps her.
> 
> Thanks for the feedback on this - with the great water heater issue this morning I won't be able to order until the same ex gets back into town and pays his 1/2 of that....


Oh no, you have no worries about the Ads if your child is at school. It has to be hooked up to the wi-fi before you see any Ads, the sleep mode has Ads, which probably come from the actually memory of the device, it's merely Ads like OLAY and others that wouldn't bother you at all. Like I said, it's unobtrusive and in my opinion is another in a long line of good moves by Amazon.

Carl


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

I think ads would look much nicer in color. (Yes, I also have a nook, but I'm still waiting for color eInk.) But of course, what I would rather have is screensavers of my own choosing. In color.

I'm not hard to please, not at all...


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I don't know, I think in this case, black and white e ink is an advantage. It makes ads much less intrusive. And also the lack of video capabilities. Or otherwise they would be flashing talking neon colored banners


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## Carl246 (Apr 10, 2011)

So, now that people are receiving them, was I right? Is it a non-issue?

Carl


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## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

Carl246 said:


> So, now that people are receiving them, was I right? Is it a non-issue?
> 
> Carl


As far as I'm concerned it's a complete non-issue. 99% of my time on the kindle is reading books, ads aren't in the books.


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## lb505 (Feb 23, 2009)

Forster said:


> As far as I'm concerned it's a complete non-issue. 99% of my time on the kindle is reading books, ads aren't in the books.


I agree 100%. I don't look at my screen when I am not reading. Who cares what's there?


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

My father's Birthday Present Kindle came today. The Ads are much better than the current screensavers, except for John Steinbeck, the person reading the kindle & fishes. I have had to look at the same pics since the K1.


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## Mrs. K. (Dec 31, 2010)

At the risk of sounding paranoid, no...I wouldn't buy it. But let's assume many people will and that it proves a success. This means the trend will continue. The only way to stop it is for the progression to fail.

It is ALWAYS a matter of getting the public to accept change in small increments. Don't believe me? Look at gasoline prices, and the difference between, say, 2004 and now. We threw fits at paying $3.00 a gallon, then the price did go down a bit before its current slow sneak up to the current outrage. I paid $4.00 the other day and I'm pretty sure I was supposed to feel like I got a bargain 'cause it was down from $4.19.

The same sneak takes place with the TV ads...bad enough that the screen crawls/animations and the station name take up incrementally bigger portions of the screen. Now the ads are even part of the show (such as the obvious Ford ads in _White Collar_.) Maybe you won't notice at first, or you haven't seen one yet...and if you don't notice or care, and if you just accept it and go on, that's making their job even easier.

Now, my guess is you won't see it with a K4...but maybe by the time they roll out the K5 you won't have a choice about receiving the ads. And maybe the K6 will have only a _tiny_ ad on your reading page...and yeah, maybe I'm wrong and if so, I'll be glad to eat my words when I pay for a K6 without ads.


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## Carl246 (Apr 10, 2011)

Mrs. K. said:


> At the risk of sounding paranoid,


Yeah, you're paranoid.  Seriously, you do have a valid point but as long as the Ads are this unobtrusive and it helps to lower prices, I'm not bothered in the slightest.

Carl


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

On the Amazon main page the non-ad wi-fi Kindle isn't mentioned, but you can still get it if you click through to the order page. I wonder if it will disappear after a while.


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## Nulke (Mar 5, 2011)

evrose said:


> No no no, you're doing it wrong Nulke... you have to add a +1 to that rant, and then post a link to your self-published book under it. Come on, get with the program!


LOL...little bit late in my response but very witty evrose. I guess I'll just have to get started on a book so I can do just that.


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## Susan J (May 14, 2010)

This offer was the catalyst that I needed to upgrade from K2 to K3. My K3 with offers arrived on 4/29. On 4/30 I bought Water for Elephants for $4.17 and got a $10 credit so gained $5.83. Today I got the AMZN $20 gift card for $10. So my savings in just two days effectively takes it below that $99 price point that several have mentioned. 

I must say that the ads seem very attractive to me, a big improvement over the boring dead authors. I went to the manage my Kindle page and had the option to say what type of ads (artistic style) that I would like or not like to see increased.


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## laurie_lu (May 10, 2010)

Can the screensaver hack be installed over the ads to eliminate them?


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## Eltanin Publishing (Mar 24, 2011)

Very interesting. I, also, opened the cover of my K3SO to see the $20 GC for $10 offer. What's interesting is that 1) that isn't the screen saver that was there when I put it to sleep, and 2) my wi-fi was turned off. So it seems like the kindle is "preloaded" with ads/offers that are scheduled to appear on a certain date.

When I now go to Home, Menu-> View Special Offers, the $10 credit for buying a book with Visa is gone - even though the expiration date was May 21st, I think - but I did take advantage of it, so maybe it knew that and took it away early? Anyone out there who DIDN'T take advantage of that offer and now it's gone?

There are still Olay, Buick, and Amazon rewards card ads but the pictures changed.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

I also received the $20 gift card for $10 offer today. I know it sounds silly to say, but the ads are pretty -- particularly the one for the skin cream.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Eltanin Publishing said:


> Very interesting. I, also, opened the cover of my K3SO to see the $20 GC for $10 offer. What's interesting is that 1) that isn't the screen saver that was there when I put it to sleep, and 2) my wi-fi was turned off. So it seems like the kindle is "preloaded" with ads/offers that are scheduled to appear on a certain date.
> 
> When I now go to Home, Menu-> View Special Offers, the $10 credit for buying a book with Visa is gone - even though the expiration date was May 21st, I think - but I did take advantage of it, so maybe it knew that and took it away early? Anyone out there who DIDN'T take advantage of that offer and now it's gone?
> 
> There are still Olay, Buick, and Amazon rewards card ads but the pictures changed.


They are loaded onto the Kindle. I was poking around the system folders last night and saw a whole bunch of them. I'm not sure what order they will show up on our Kindles, but I do know that there are a couple of dozen of them in there.



MichelleR said:


> I also received the $20 gift card for $10 offer today. I know it sounds silly to say, but the ads are pretty -- particularly the one for the skin cream.


I kinda like the ads too. It's at least a change from the authors after all this time.



laurie_lu said:


> Can the screensaver hack be installed over the ads to eliminate them?


I have no idea.. but if you did that, then you wouldn't be able to see the Special Offers so what would be the point?


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

Eltanin Publishing said:


> Very interesting. I, also, opened the cover of my K3SO to see the $20 GC for $10 offer. What's interesting is that 1) that isn't the screen saver that was there when I put it to sleep, and 2) my wi-fi was turned off. So it seems like the kindle is "preloaded" with ads/offers that are scheduled to appear on a certain date..


This is helpful to me! I was wondering what would happen if the wifi was off, although I'm pretty sure I will just end up needing to deregister it while she reads the stuff from my account, then link it to her own account.


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

You guys are tempting me to replace my broken kindle.  I have been making do with my phone and ipad but they are not nearly as good.  I have been waiting for either a new kindle or a drop below $100.  But two $20 for $10 offers and I would be below $100 anyway.  I am a big audible fan and would love a 6 for $6 (but it would probably be for new accounts only so I would not be eligible).  And I probably do not need temptation to spend more money.  So still on the fence.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

arshield said:


> You guys are tempting me to replace my broken kindle. I have been making do with my phone and ipad but they are not nearly as good. I have been waiting for either a new kindle or a drop below $100. But two $20 for $10 offers and I would be below $100 anyway. I am a big audible fan and would love a 6 for $6 (but it would probably be for new accounts only so I would not be eligible). And I probably do not need temptation to spend more money. So still on the fence.


I don't think the Audible offer is for new members only.. I'm pretty sure it would have said so in the ad. I looked at the ad last night (I found the system folder that holds them all).. If you take advantage of that one too, then the Kindle is practically free with just 3 offers...


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## bashfulreader (Jan 29, 2011)

MichelleR said:


> I also received the $20 gift card for $10 offer today. I know it sounds silly to say, but the ads are pretty -- particularly the one for the skin cream.


You know, I really don't think that sounds silly at all. I just gave in and ordered the K3 with Special Offers, to replace my K2. I really tried to convince myself that I should hold out until my K2 dies, and that the ads would be annoying... but I just couldn't do it. From the pictures I've seen, I really don't think I'll mind the ads at all.

In fact, I'm actually looking forward to new screen-savers, and definitely some of the special offers I'm hearing about. I think it will be sort of fun to see what my Kindle shows me next - whether it's just a pretty picture, or a great deal. New surprises all the time.


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## BellaStreet (Apr 15, 2011)

Well, I LOVE my Kindle with ads. Only on the screensaver is there an ad and it only comes on after about 10 minutes of inactivity. I don't even notice it. On the book list page there is a small banner at the bottom. Once again, no biggie. And the ads are Amazon VISA, Buick, Oil of Oily and Amazon special offers.

I've purchased a couple of the specials already; 1 $20 Amazon GC for $10 and a mp3 album for $1. So I'm already about $15 ahead and already saved $25 off the purchase price. 

I'd say for bargain hunters like me, this is the way to go!


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## Eltanin Publishing (Mar 24, 2011)

BellaStreet said:


> I've purchased a couple of the specials already; 1 $20 Amazon GC for $10 and a mp3 album for $1. So I'm already about $15 ahead and already saved $25 off the purchase price.


Did you actually get the mp3 album for $1 yet? I asked for the deal, and they sent me an email saying I'd get the discount code within 7 business days. That was 3 or 4 business days ago, so I'm not complaining, just curious.


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## justT (May 10, 2011)

Eltanin Publishing said:


> Did you actually get the mp3 album for $1 yet? I asked for the deal, and they sent me an email saying I'd get the discount code within 7 business days. That was 3 or 4 business days ago, so I'm not complaining, just curious.


Ditto that...still waiting! I also requested the denim offer ($10 for $30 in the Amazon denim shop) as well to test to see if that code would come through to my email and that hasn't come either.


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## BellaStreet (Apr 15, 2011)

A few have wondered why I use Linux if I'm not techo-savvy...that's what happens when you DO have a techno-savvy son who wipes Windows from your laptop and extols the virtues of Linux. LOL But for the record, I use the 'user-friendly' Ubuntu, which my son sniffs at a bit  And I have to admit I LOVE Ubuntu and he's even converted me to Open Office. Long live Open Source! (even if I'm not super sure what that means--LOL)

Amazon *used* to have an App for Linux. I don't think they do now. But Linux users figured out work-arounds and I was able to open Kindle titles via WINE on my laptop for a long time--then suddenly it wouldn't work anymore.

Anyway, all a moot point--I adore my Kindle and the ads are very unintrusive--there are even some great money saving deals--and being a Mom, just plain means I'm cheap!


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I have been asking some Kindle fans about this and they all seem to love the new Kindle.  They tell me the ads are part of the screen savers, not obnoxious and not intrusive. 

For me, as an author, I say the more Kindles that can be put into the hands of more people, the better...  Then again I also tell people that I don't care if you read any of my books...just that you buy a LOT of copies...


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

BellaStreet said:


> Amazon *used* to have an App for Linux. I don't think they do now. But Linux users figured out work-arounds and I was able to open Kindle titles via WINE on my laptop for a long time--then suddenly it wouldn't work anymore.


Off topic. . . .but I don't recall Amazon ever having a Kindle App designed for a computer running Linux.

Though I believe the OS of the Kindle device itself is based on Linux.

But, yeah, for a while, you could run the PC version (I think) on a Linux machine by using Wine. . . .kinda like running a windows program on a Mac using an emulator. At some point they updated the App, though, and it stopped working that way.


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## kzoomoo (Apr 30, 2011)

I like the idea of a more affordable kindle. I would probably ignore the ads. We have a large family with only one kindle currently, so this could be a good way to get more kindles in more hands around here.


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## India Drummond (Nov 1, 2010)

I'd do it if it was 1/2 price, I think. I really noticed the current screensavers on my Kindle when I first got it. After a week, I didn't pay any attention to them, so I don't think advertising there would be distracting at all.

This would only concern me, really, if the ads were appearing inside the books. And I'm not sure how I feel about the rumours of product placement within books (e.g. having a character drive a certain car or use a certain coffeemaker, etc, in exchange for the author/publisher being paid.)

But a small banner? In exchange for, say, a half-price Kindle? I'd do that.


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## gai-jin (Mar 30, 2011)

I ordered a kso and received it today. I am mildly confused though, I still see the dead authors screen saver and no ads on the home screen. Does it take a while for the ads to start showing up, or did they send me the no ads version?


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Do you have the wireless on?


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## gai-jin (Mar 30, 2011)

Sorry, I tried to reply to this from my phone yesterday, but it didn't go for some reason.  

Yes, I had the wireless on, connected, and downloading books from my kindle library.  When I got back to my kindle later that evening, I had ads on screen, so either it does take a while for it to download and display the first batch of ads, or it prioritizes book downloads over ads and I had queued a bunch of books before I turned the kindle on for the first time.

I've got ads for $6/6mo audible, amazon visa (already have one), visa signature, and olay.  

Have I missed any chance of getting the $20 for $10 amazon card, or other amazon related deals, or will they just rotate in over a few days?


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## Carld (Dec 2, 2009)

If I were buying a Kindle 3 now, I'd buy the one with ads. The ads don't seem very obtrusive, and from what I've seen of the offers have been pretty good.


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## kimdle (May 15, 2011)

gai-jin said:


> Sorry, I tried to reply to this from my phone yesterday, but it didn't go for some reason.
> 
> Yes, I had the wireless on, connected, and downloading books from my kindle library. When I got back to my kindle later that evening, I had ads on screen, so either it does take a while for it to download and display the first batch of ads, or it prioritizes book downloads over ads and I had queued a bunch of books before I turned the kindle on for the first time.
> 
> ...


Thats what I'm wonering too. I didn't ket my KSO until after that promo had ended so I'm hoping they will do it again for people who purchased a KSO after it ended.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I'm sure it will be offered again... They're going to have to keep releasing good offers or people will stop buying this particular Kindle and the people who did buy it for the offers will be upset.


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