A large screen Kindle 3 will likely be announced at a news conference this week (wednesday). Amazon is holding a news conference at 10:30 a.m. at Pace University in New York City and the much-rumored 9.7″ Kindle Textbook edition/ Kindle 3 is the likely suspect.
The choice of a university indicates that textbooks, and not newspapers, are the focus of the new larger Kindle. A few additional details from NYTimes -
But it is Amazon, maker of the Kindle, that appears to be first in line to try throwing an electronic life preserver to old-media companies. As early as this week, according to people briefed on the online retailer’s plans, Amazon will introduce a larger version of its Kindle wireless device tailored for displaying newspapers, magazines and perhaps textbooks.
An Amazon spokesman would not comment, but some news organizations, including The New York Times, are expected to be involved in the introduction of the device, according to people briefed on the plans. A spokeswoman for The Times, Catherine J. Mathis, said she could not comment on the company’s relationship with Amazon.
Wow – big, big news indeed. Here’s what we know -
- 9.7 inch screen, based on code found in the Kindle 2 firmware (by Jesse Vincent).
- A larger screen Kindle will be targeted at college students for use with textbooks.
- An eInk executive did mention that 2009 would be the year of larger sized screens (also 2010 touchscreens, and 2011 color).
- Kindle 3 or Kindle Textbook Edition – whatever the name, would probably be priced higher. If a 6″ screen costs around $60, then a 9.7″ screen might cost as much as double and related costs might push this to $499. Although a $399 price would lead to a lot more sales.
- This would put a big damper on the plans of both Plastic Logic and Sony. Plastic Logic doesn’t come out till 2010 (rumors) and Sony has no larger sized eReader available.
The buzz has been picking up, and apparently invites to a WEdnesday May 6th News Conference were sent out over the weekend. 156 newspapers and news sites have picked it up so far -
Kindle 3 Buzz - Wed May 6th release?
An early May release would give Kindle a huge lead and help it get a large number of sales amongst the college and school crowd.
It would also ensure Kindle gets to the market well before the much rumored Apple 10″ MediaPad. The 4-5 months Kindle 3 would get would enable it to wrap up some portion of the market for a larger screen device.
Filed under: kindle 3, news Tagged: | kindle 3, kindle textbook edition, large screen kindle
