Nov 2nd: Kindle 2.0 Release Date is becoming more and more of an issue. I’ve had several people and a few friends mention it. Amazon – when are you releasing Kindle 2.0?
Nov 1st Update: The Kindle is sold out – and will now take 2-3 weeks to ship – check out the Kindle Product page for yourself (also still 5 hrs for the oprah kindle coupon: OPRAHWINFREY and $50 off - ends Nov 1st). In this situation it becomes even more crucial to specify the release date for the Kindle 2. Also, Amazon should be careful about specifying delays correctly – no one wants to have a delayed christmas gift.
Kindle to Kindle 2 Transition – The Issue.
Amazon’s Kindle to Kindle 2 transition is a very tricky move. As we get closer and closer to Christmas we’re going to see a lot of people waffle between buying a Kindle and waiting for Kindle 2.0. There’s a Romanian saying that goes – “When 2 people fight, a third wins”. People torn between Kindle and Kindle 2.0 will, in some cases, simply buy something else. To make the most of the Christmas retail season, Amazon should quickly and gracefully resolve this conflict between
- The pleasure and instant gratification of owning the Kindle now, followed by the pain of seeing Kindle 2.0 in 1-2 months. Vs
- The Immediate Pain of waiting for Kindle 2, and a few months later, the pleasure of owning the latest Kindle version.
If you can’t wait for your Kindle fix till 2009, buy the Kindle Now. Remember to use the valid till Nov 1st Oprah Kindle code: OPRAHWINFREY for $50 off the Kindle. I personally would call up Amazon and make sure Kindle 2 doesn’t come out till end Feb 2009.
Potential Kindle Owners are already verbalizing this Kindle-Kindle 2 dilemma.
All of my thinking on Kindle Vs Kindle 2.0 stems from a really interesting comment on the blog today from ktyhwk -
I want to get a kindle. I saw Oprah’s show and of course I started looking into it and telling all my friends. Now the way I understand it is there is a kindle and a kindle 2? If I want to get one for myself for Christmas, should I wait for the kindle 2 or buy the kindle and get the $50 off now? Not sure what to do here… Thanks
For every 1 person who voices this doubt/concern, there are 10-100 more who feel this and abstain from buying a Kindle. These are people who’re already sold on the Kindle. It’s inexcusable to let them walk away when there is a somewhat straightforward solution.
Solution to Kindle Vs Kindle 2 Decision, aka Smooth Move to Kindle 2.0
There are three things Amazon needs to do to ensure a perceived Kindle 2 release doesn’t eat into Kindle’s christmas sales -
- Most Importantly – give a firm date for the release of the Kindle 2. Saying next year confuses everyone who’s thinking of buying it anytime in December. They fear Kindle 2 comes out Jan 15th and they’re left with the older model. A firm date like Feb 21st would help people decide whether to wait or not.
- Indicate clearly (and I hope this is the case) that all (or most) of the software/firmware improvements to Kindle in Version 2, will also be passed on to Kindle 1. If possible, indicate the feature set for the Kindle 2, and the subset of that feature set that Kindle 1 owners will get as a firmware update.
- Keep the lower price point ($309 with oprah’s kindle discount code), and if possible, lower it even more. The Kindle’s price point is a big sticking point, and discounts work – especially in this economic climate.
By doing three simple things i.e. setting a firm date for Kindle 2, clarifying that Kindle 1 will get some firmware updates, and extending (even increasing) the Oprah Kindle coupon, Amazon can ensure a great Kindle christmas season.
The downside with introducing a firm Kindle V2 release date is that sales fall during the last month or so before that date. The solution there might be a price cut.
On a related note, it’d be cool if anyone has links to any market studies on the best way to introduce a newer version of a product. My perception is that price cuts are the usual mechanism used to reduce a customer’s perceived fear of losing out on the new version.
Filed under: kindle, kindle 2 Tagged: | kindle, kindle 2, kindle christmas, kindle price cut
I did my dissertation on an Osborne I computer (no internal memory, one 5.25-inch floppy for WordStar and another (90K max) for segments of the document).
When Osborne announced plans for the Osborne II, people stopped buying the Osborne I. There was no revenue for going forward, and the company went bankrupt.
I bought a backup Osborne I so I wouldn’t be caught halfway through my dissertation if anything happened to my first machine.
I had an Osborne I computer as well
The 4″ monochrome monitor was an attractive because this suitcase size computer was portable. There are, however, a great many differences between a company like Amazon and the one that produced Osborne I. It is currently the middle of January and there is a Six to Eight week estimate ship for the first Kindle. Amazon has enough in its other sales to support their device through any bumps and valleys that may happen. I am waiting for the Kindle 2.0 to be released and don’t mind waiting for it if it will solve some of the bugs and problems with the device. It is my experience that customers get very bent out of shape about those sort of things. Jeff Bezos has so far done an amazing job with the kindle in getting the wireless tech companies and the publishers together to make something like this happen. Also I do believe the Kindle is a little cheaper than an Osborne I was at that time ( $350 for the Kindle and $1800 for the Osborne I )