Kindle Sells Out Despite Skepticism

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Kindle Sells Out Despite Skepticism
By Jennifer LeClaire
November 23, 2007 9:35AM

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Plenty of buyers are keen on Kindle, Amazon's new e-book reader launched earlier this week. While the Kindle sold out within a matter of days since its launch, skeptics wonder whether the Kindle's price is still too high to make the e-book reader a mass market success. "The Kindle is still too expensive for a mainstream audience at $399," says at least one industry expert.

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   The question over demand for a new e-book reader has been answered. You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login's Kindle reader, just announced November 19, has sold out in the face of critics, skeptics and other nay sayers.

Amazon.com's Web site indicates "due to heavy customer demand, Kindle is temporarily sold out. Because we ship Kindles on a first-come, first-served basis, order now to reserve your place in line." The Web page indicates the Kindle will be back in stock on December 5, at a retail price of $399 with free two-day shipping.

It's a promising start for what Amazon hopes will spark a Book 2.0 revolution. But what will it take to bring the Kindle from the early adopter phase to the mainstream mass market. In other words, what factors will lead to a true Book 2.0 revolution in which the Kindle is the superstar?

Keen on Kindle

Kindle's features include paperback-size dimensions, being able to change font size into an instant large-type edition, and the ability to hold several shelves' worth of books, plus hundreds more on a memory card and a limitless amount in virtual library stacks maintained by Amazon. The device is not just for books: Users can subscribe to newspapers, including the New York Times, and magazines as well.

Amazon.com worked on developing the Kindle for three years before introducing its attempt to usher in the next era of book publishing to the masses. The Kindle is a perpetually connected Internet device that comes automatically configured to connect to the Kindle Store through Sprint's EVDO network. That means users do not need to be near a Wi-Fi hotspot to gain access. And there is no monthly fee for access to the wireless Relevant Products/Services service.

THe Kindle Store offers the same shopping experience that You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login customers are accustomed to, including customer reviews, personalized recommendations, and 1-Click purchasing. Additionally, Kindle customers can download and read the first chapter of most Kindle books for free.

Kindle has built-in access to The New Oxford American Dictionary, which contains over 250,000 entries and definitions, so readers can look up the definitions of words as they read. Kindle customers also have seamless access to Wikipedia and its collection of more than two million articles.

Mainstreaming Kindle

The technology is strong enough for the mainstream, but the Kindle needs to overcome a couple of key hurdles before it becomes a mass market superstar, according to Michael Gartenberg, an industry analyst at JupiterResearch. (continued...)

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