Kindle Review – Kindle 2 Review, Books

There are four big underlying reasons why a non-insignificant number of Kindle for iPhone users will end up buying Kindle 2, Kindle 3 or the Kindle Textbook Edition  -

1. Awareness of the Kindle + the Realization that something better than reading on iPhone exists.  
2. Commitment and Consistency (as Cialdini would say) – A user of the Kindle for iPhone app will begin to consider himself part of the Kindle family. 
3. Lock-In – All books you buy for your Kindle iPhone app only work with Kindle 1, Kindle 2 and Kindle 3.
4. Value-Add – Any Kindle 2 owner now can read across their Kindle 2, their iPhone and soon across other devices.

Here are some more in-depth explanations - 

Realization that something better than reading on the iPhone exists.

The biggest reason that Kindle for iPhone App is going to boost Kindle 2, Kindle 3 sales is that a lot of people using the app will be exposed to what the Kindle 2 is and be able to see how much better it is for reading.

Here’s a snippet from the Apple Blog -

Reading is nice but a little cramped on the iPhone. Honestly, I found myself wishing I had a bigger screen, maybe something just like a Kindle 2 device — which is probably exactly what Amazon wanted me to feel.

And one of the comments (from Jim) only highlights this point  -

 Funny how last week I was totally OK with just reading on the iPhone (Stanza) – now I’d much rather read on the Kindle.

This is just a day in. If I were Amazon I’d take a bundle of all the Kindle specific offers they’ve had for free recently published books, and bundle them in with the Kindle for iPhone app – a collection of 20-100 good free books that no other iPhone eReader can offer.

Kindle for iPhone

Commitment to Kindle and Consistency with being an Amazon Kindle customer

Cialdini talked about this principle of Commitment and Consistency as one of the 6 core principles of Influence. Its the reason why grocery stores want you to get membership cards and stores want you to get store specific credit cards.

All things being equal, a Kindle for iPhone user is going to pick a Kindle 2 when choosing an eBook Reader. Even if All things are not quite equal, he’s still going to pick the Kindle 2 when choosing what eReader to upgrade to.

Lock-In to the Kindle and the Kindle Store

This is where, from a company standpoint, having a proprietary format is a blessing. Any purchases Kindle for iPhone customers make will be in .azw format and the only eReader that gets .azw is Kindle (1, 2, and 3). There’s automatic lock-in.

There are also other forms of lock-in like

1. Signing up for an Amazon account, and getting used to making purchases from Kindle store.
2. Getting used to a lot of the features and functionality of the Kindle for iPhone app (which are very similar to Kindle 2).

The lock-in makes leaving Kindle for iPhone App for a non-Kindle eReader a costly move. You lose your books and you lose your comfort zone.

Value-Add for Kindle 2 owners AKA The Power of WhisperSync

This becomes the Kindle 2’s strong-suit – being able to read Kindle Edition books across devices, and the devices syncing together. Its already impressive, and soon they will add in support for Blackberries, other smart-phones, netbooks, and hopefully (though it might not happen) normal PCs.  

At that point, the WhisperSync feature is going to become a huge competitive advantage over other eReaders and a significant barrier to entry for new eReaders.

Closing Thoughts

Kindle 2 owners just got a nice bonus with the Kindle for iPhone App. The iPhone just got a top competitor for the title of ‘Best iPhone Reading App’. And Amazon put an end to all the ‘iPhone is going to kill the Kindle’ stories. A pretty good day overall.  

I do feel that the Kindle for iPhone app is going to result in a lot of new Kindle 2 owners. As Kindles evolve and become better and better, more and more Kindle for iPhone users will switch to becoming actual Kindle device owners.