Amazon’s Kindle 2 Gets $US60 Price Drop, Now At $US299

@Pope John Peeps II: I think you're extrapolating a lot from one remark that, as far as I can tell, is unsupported. We don't know what Amazon's publishing contracts look like, and we don't know what their fee structure looks like with major publishers and newspapers. For instance, it could very well be that the fees for a newspaper are 70% if the paper sells at $5/mo. but could be 40% if it sells for $15/mo. We just don't know how it breaks down. I'm not defending the fees - I don't have to. Amazon's got one channel of distribution, not a lock on all distribution. If they want to negotiate their fees that's their business.

As for the licensing, once again I'm going to have to say we just don't know enough about the language of the contract to say exactly what Amazon is going for. I do know how licensing works though, and I know that Amazon would have to get a license that would allow it to deliver the content on multiple platforms if it's going to serve it up on the Kindle or the iPhone or the Blackberry or whatever. That doesn't seem unfair to me at all. And it hasn't stopped the NYT from having their own iPhone app, serving up their content on the web, or licensing their stuff out to third parties in other ways. So clearly this is not a case where Amazon is holding the rights - that would require an exclusive, worldwide license of indefinite duration. Amazon is, near as I can tell without seeing the actual contract, simply asking for the rights to publish on the Kindle and other Kindle-enabled devices, and they're geting those rights in exchange for money that they're paying to dozens of other papers that have made the choice to publish with Amazon, so I have to assume that at least most of them think it's a fair deal and that they're seeing more revenue from it than they would otherwise.

@weatherman: You obviously don't know much about the publishing industry if you think this is fair. To think this is fair is absolutely retarded. For Amazon to demand 70% of the revenues is shit. Newspaper content is difficult and lengthy to produce, far more difficult to produce than wireless delivery and infrastructure.

And that's absolutely NOT how licensing works at all, Weatherman. For you to say that is just mind-boggling. If Amazon wants to reproduce the content of a newspaper in many formats, they should pay for each of those formats. What amazon is asking for is basically to HOLD THE RIGHTS to that content.

So if a newspaper wanted to republish, they'd actually have to purchase their own article. The Kindle is going to be sunk by this. No newspaper in the world would ever agree.

@yogibimbi: it's a totally different experience reading on a Kindle than on a phone. The screen size is four times as large as your phone, and it can be read in direct sunlight. The battery lasts for thousands of pages, which means you can read for hours on the beach without worrying about running out of juice. Also, for me the main advantage is that the device can download periodicals like the New York Times or the Economist wirelessly, and while you can get 'net access on a phone, you'll spend 10 times as much time loading the pages as you would reading.

Trust me, if you travel or if you read a lot, and especially if you read the paper daily, it's worth the spend :-$

@Pope John Peeps II: I can't speak to Amazon's fees to newspapers, but keep in mind that Amazon is covering the costs of wireless delivery and that newspapers use that daily.

As for the licensing rights, my understanding is that Amazon asks for the right to put it on different devices, i.e. the iPhone via Kindle software, and that's why they get those rights.

There are certainly things Amazon does to be infuriated about, I don't think this is one of them.

@wendigee: you don't have to use their pay-per-document service - that only applies to wireless delivery. You can load it with whatever you want.

@ShantalaGuanaco: you should consider the fact that everything that you read in law school (everything that's important, anyway) is available for free because it's caselaw. Skip the textbook, just get the cases from Westlaw or the internet and send them to your Kindle. You'll save yourself a lot of hassle and a lot of money.

@Doug Berger: You must hate yourself if you read book on iphone, it's just terrible, simply terrible.

AdrianWerner

i won't buy this until it is less than $100

@Jordon Fedak: Yes, but unless you have a clamp on the bookmark, you'd lose your place!

@Patrick Caldwell: *A book*, as in singular, *can* be convenient and portable. You get three or four books together, or start reading longer ones, and they'll gang up on you.

In other words, tell it to my 1600 page "Mac OS X Internals" book. Not exactly portable or convenient. By the way, you can put that on your Kindle, along with a few hundred others and the weight stays the same.

I tend to read several books at a time, and they're not puny paperbacks, either (although I kind of wish that they were). So as far as convenient and portable, I will NOT give you either of those as a blanket statement. Kindle, however, deservedly receives both of these.

I'm still far to cheap to buy one, however, since you can't beat free (i.e. SF library system).

ludwigk

keeping my sony-505

Heck no, I've gotten at least $60 worth of use out of it til now.

Eddie Sarphie

The price is set by the publisher, not Amazon. So there's some discrepancy between different catalogues. Most of the big houses run between $10 and $15 while it's in hardback release, then drop it to $6-$8 when it is in paperback.

There are also a lot of promotions with free books (which they hope will suck you into a series) from time to time.

All in all, it's a heck of a lot better than a few years ago with those other e-readers being the only game in town and charging over $20 for every title.

Frankly, though, one of the things you're paying for with a Kindle is instant availability. Getting most new releases into your hands in about 20-30 seconds, wherever you happen to be is an amazing convenience.

Eddie Sarphie

iPod touch. No need for Kindle. The iPod has a better display, costs less, does more, is a better e-reader, handles more formats, animates, plays games, has more storage...

yeah, ipod. :o)

Amazon Kindle App = Free!!!
(If you already own the Iphone or Ipod Touch)

SPhamma

I don't understand how Amazon can make money off these when people are buying them unsubsidized, and are not required to pay for their bandwidth usage on the "3G network" (I use parentheses because I hear the 3G isn't that great on Whispernet)

archdan

You know the biggest fucking joke about Kindle is the Amazon business model for licensing content. For anyone who thinks this is going to be a portal to cheap, easy digital content, think again. There's a recent Malcom Gladwell article in the New Yorker, where an editor from a Dallas newspaper met with the Amazon people, and came out of the meeting with the incredulous news that Amazon would take 70% of the revenues from Kindle subscriptions with the addendum that Amazon would have the right to license THEIR content to whoever they liked

This is an outrageous and frankly infuriating step by Amazon. I for one will not ever be buying any of their shitty products. I buy my books at local stores and buy my newspapers from publishers and Amazon, the cheap multi-fingered penis waving creature of slime, can eat it right in the face.

I paid $359, I probably would have paid up to $400 for it. Over that and I would have waited for something like this to come along.

BlackSmokeDMax

I paid $200 for the sony ereader when it was on sale at borders and I have to say so far I love it.
it helps greatly that quite a few of the books I read are available on the internet, but just having a slim form factor hold over 100 books for me is amazing.
If you read semi frequently, I would recommend this or any other ereader.

hewhoroams

@nonpareil: I would pick one up for $199. That is the ultimate price-point; probably will happen around Christmas buying season.

And, even if Hayden wasn't of age, I'd go to jail.

OK, no, I wouldn't. OK, maybe.

Damned old age. I keep getting older, and they keep getting younger.

I like to give my books aways to friends that I know will enjoy them. Sometimes I get them back, sometimes not. Yes, 300 bucks for an ebook reader is way too high. I'd pay 150.

jesusio

@Killjoy

You said it. The thing that keeps me away from the Kindle, more than anything else is that I want to have both digital and print copies of my books. If they can't bundle them together, and I have to choose one, I choose paper. Give me digital copies of paper books that I buy, even at a premium, just like many Blu-Ray disks currently do, and I'd buy the Kindle in a heartbeat.

A Lawyer

@Wavel: Couldn't agree more. I received it as a gift and absolutely adore it. Bottom line is if you're an active reader (which 95% of people are not), it's an amazing device. And I love it.

nonpareil

@Wavel: Ever thrown your Kindle across the room? Didn't think so. At least my book would stay together for the most part, and if not, a little tape would fix that.

Jordon Fedak

@thisotherguy:
And the like week of battery life + no eye strain screen

COCOViper

@ophmarketing:

hahaha

COCOViper

Make the damned thing free and charge for subscriptions to magazines/newspapers already. Sheesh - if Sprint can give a netbook for $0.01 with a contract, why can't Bezos figure this out already.

wiggin

all this thing does is display text for 300 bucks

and somehow ppl complain about the PS3 price tag

strange world...

sc4tt3rbr4in

i grabbed the kindle iphone app hoping to get some books at lower prices, then i could buy book book versions of the ones that are just soo good i gotta. i was shocked to see that electronic copies are just as much or more ($20 for Twilight - on the app store, not the kindle) - shouldn't e-books be cheaper than physical books? if i could get books for the kindle real cheap it would start to look appealing but what ive seen on the iphone is no cheaper - unless you want to read classics (Treasure Island etc)

Hmm I only clicked on this post to see the woman in the picture. Too bad its freakin whatever her name is. Disappointment. Giz needs more Megan Fox posts.

tenazrael

@elitesoulman: Damn right, books are books. This is just useless.

$99. New releases: $10, backlist: $5. That's when I'll bite. Before that I'll happily buy books on Half.com and read the NY Times on my 'puter.

Mr_Human

Less than $200, and some reassurance that my books won't go away when the business model changes in the future.

I love Killjoy's idea of a library subscription. I'd buy that in a heartbeat.

Aelfric

@jbirgenheier: The bargains come into play when you buy brand new books not yet released in paperback. They are usually 9.99 compared to 17.99-21.99 for the hardback.

Other than that - yeah the price needs to come down a bit for older books.

rushevents

@elitesoulman: Amen.

I would LOVE to have an e-reader but I just can't make myself flop down the 3 bills for something I am sure has a profit margin the size of Australia just because they can demand it... for now.

Besides, the real money will be in the books and subscriptions - why gouge on the unit too?

As a committed capitalist I shall vote with my wallet... and NOT buy one until the price comes down.

rushevents

I'm fond of owning the books I pay for, thanks. If Amazon offers a "Library" subscription with which I can download any book I want for free and keep the file for two weeks, then I'd buy their hardware. If Amazon allows full ownership of purchased media and *also* allows me free digital copies of any book I already own physically, then I'd buy their hardware *and* their media and I'd probably never buy a paper book again.

I still want one, but I'm still not paying that much for one. $150-$200 might make it worth my while.

@elitesoulman:
I bought one for my wife recently and she claims it's the best gift I've ever given her... and i've given her 3 kids and plenty of bling in the past 10 years.

It seems that most of these "rather read a book" comments are from people who have never used a kindle.

Wavel

@The_Red_Monkey: Unlike a netbook, the one thing that a Kindle still has going for it is that it can be read in the daylight outside.

Otherwise, you have a very good idea!

thisotherguy

@Doug Berger: small computes that can do more then show you a PDF for less then $300??
that's not possible.

thealibiguy

So will we now get to hear from all the whiners who bought one when it was $60 more, the way we did with the iPhone price drop?

ophmarketing

@pevans34: Don't you mean "the word you're looking for"?

ophmarketing

@undefined: I concur.

$300 would buy you an entire shelf's worth of excellent books from Half Price Books. Books which are already convenient and portable. I wouldn't read books off a Kindle if they gave the thing away.

Patrick Caldwell

@yogibimbi: h-h-h-eadshot!

@jbirgenheier: Subscription service, dammit! I use my public library because I don't want to have to buy every book I read. A $15 or $20/month subscription service (3 books at a time, return them when I'm done, unlimited books per month, just like Netflix) would have had me buying a Kindle LONG ago.

selianth

@elitesoulman: agreed

The trees they cut down are from tree farms any way, and old book smell nice too.

thealibiguy

@jbirgenheier: I agree. Surely the cost of production, returns, shipping from distributors, pulping trees and the inclusion of DRM warrants a lower price point.

stretta

I ordered one last week and it has yet to arrive. :sadface:

stretta

$99 and they can remove the "Whispernet" cell modem and the keyboard.

I'm a frequent traveler as well as have been tempted by the Kindle, but it's still too pricey. Make it $199 with 10 free ebooks and I'll buy it.

contempt

$149

chrisaroz

Under $200 and I'd probably bite. But I'm a frequent traveler so the thought of taking several books with me in something that small is very appealing.

$99 and I will try to budget one in - $10/bestseller is a pretty decent price.

blash

@Save me: Agreed. I'd much rather spend $300 on Hayden. Mmmm

Or I could buy a netbook and turn it sideways.

The price of the Kindle doesn't determine the "sweet spot" for me. The price of the books is the problem. Why do they charge the same or even more for something that is not even a physical product? It seems to me that the books should be at least a couple of dollars cheaper than a paperback.

@yogibimbi: spend :-$

yogibimbi

oh, well, for me it would not be 300 USD to "upgrade" to the Kindle, but 300 USD to downgrade from my Palm Centro eReader. Why would I need an additional gadget with quite a bit of a footprint in my luggage, and why spent the extra money?

yogibimbi

@elitesoulman: yeah, maybe if it ever hit the 150 dollhair price range.

@hypocalypto: Yes. Nothing says you're well-educated like a bookshelf full of harry potter books.

@pevans34: you are a total bitch. But you are totally, bitchily, right:-D

Being German and prone to correct other people (justly or unjustly so, blame my upbringing with a family full of teachers, but I would have to say it's probably just me) usually puts me way ahead of the pack in the race for the grammar nazi. Good to know there is still some competition. And usually it's pretty hard to pin anything on the Frooch, so you get a bonus multiplier for that, too.

yogibimbi

Still too rich for my blood. I'll stick to old-fashioned books for now.

How much for Hayden?

@elitesoulman: I agree, plus you're place will be classier looking with rows of books on your shelves!

hypocalypto

Ugh, at least if I buy 100 used paperbacks with that money I get to keep them regardless of what Bezos does in the future.

It's got free internet access, doesn't it? That's still pretty hot.

And for the same price, I can have a portable device that runs other apps and can [occasionally] make and receive phone calls? Hmmm ... let me think this one through ...

Doug Berger

Dangit!!!!! Bought mine one month before the DX came out, and now this?!?!?!

komododave

Not to be a total b*tch, but I think the word your looking for is "lopped"

And it's still too damn expensive. Go read a real book.

i think the kindle will be a bit null and void once tablets take off.

Jonathan Butler