Kindle Review – Kindle Fire Review, Kindle 4 Review

With news that the Kindle 3 is out of stock coming out yesterday night you have to consider how precariously the Nook is perched -

1. Every Kindle 3 sold represents a lost potential Nook owner. So does every Kindle WiFi sold.
2. Kindle 3 has sold out and even if Amazon is exaggerating a little bit all signs point to Kindle 3 being a runaway hit.
3. The Press loves Kindle 3. It’s the first time its shown any love to any Kindle. To make things worse most ‘Kindle is now $139′ articles don’t even mention Nook.
4. At $189 the Kindle 3 under-cuts the Nook by $10. Kindle 3 also has eInk Pearl and some solid improvements that make it clearly better than Nook. 
5. Kindle Store was already the best ebook store.
6. Kindle Whispernet was already the best service/infrastructure and it continues to provide free 3G based Internet browsing.
7. Kindle already has the lead in both eReader sales and book sales.

Barnes & Noble will have to release or announce the Nook 2 soon (it was probably set for an early September release). If it doesn’t it might lose out on Summer and Back to School eReader sales. Worse, the Kindle will be able to extend its lead on the Nook in terms of customer base. 

Nook WiFi is in an even more precarious position - It’s undercut on price, it doesn’t have eInk Pearl, and it just came out which means there isn’t a Nook WiFi Part 2 ready to save it. Let’s start with Kindle WiFi vs Nook WiFi because that’s a clearer comparison and there’s no Nook WiFi 2 on the horizon.

Nook WiFi just got decimated by Kindle WiFi

There’s no other way to put it.

1. The eInk Pearl screen has 50% better contrast and the graphite casing ensures the contrast jumps out at you.  
2. The price is $10 less.
3. Kindle Store is a better store.
4. Kindle WiFi is lighter at 8.5 ounces.
5. Who knows what feature the microphone will enable.

Nook WiFi still has ePub and Library Books and the LendMe feature. However, there’s no denying that it’s a device from the second generation of eReaders forced to compete with a third generation Kindle WiFi. It’s not even fair.

We see the same imbalance with Kindle vs Nook.

Unless Nook 2 comes out soon Kindle 3 will gobble up Nook’s market share

Kindle 3 adds a lot of features that are just not present in Nook 1 -

1. eInk Pearl Screen.
2. 1 month battery life.
3. Faster Page Turns. Kindle 2 was significantly faster than Nook 1 to begin with. 
4. The microphone and whatever features that enables.
5. Kindle 3 is far lighter and smaller and far thinner.
6. The PDF support is much better on Kindle 3.
7. Kindle 3 is accessible for blind readers. That’s a segment of readers that are ONLY going to buy Kindle 3 and Kindle WiFi.

Here Barnes & Noble has a better shot because Nook 2 is already FCC approved. B&N can cobble together something that matches the Kindle 3 or at least comes close and if it releases Nook 2 with a week or so it can limit the damage.

If Amazon really is selling 100,000 Kindle 3s and Kindle WiFis a week - that might leave nothing for the Nook 2 in September. B&N has to release Nook 2 soon and it has to ensure Nook 2 is comparable.

What else can B&N do to fight off Kindle 3?

For the Kindle 3 the B&N has to polish up Nook 2. For Kindle WiFi it’s stuck. There are, however, things in can do in general -

1. It needs to beef up its ebook store. Plus match Kindle prices across the board.
2. It needs to beef up its infrastructure and start offering free browsing like Kindle does.
3. It needs to go international.
4. The idea of the Nook mini-stores is a very good one. It does need a solid Nook 2 for it to take off.  
5. It has to focus on people who don’t know about the Kindle. There are still a lot of those.  
6. It has to drum up the ePub and Library books features of the Nook.
7. B&N has to figure out a way to flesh-out LendMe.
8. It needs to figure out what Apple does to get positive Press coverage. It might not have the advertising dollars to offer so this might not work.
9. Nook 2 software needs to minimize bugs, crashes, and sluggishness.

B&N has a mountain to climb now. However, it does have its advantages and a smart Nook 2 feature-set combined with an intelligent marketing campaign would ensure it doesn’t get swept away by Kindle 3 and Kindle WiFi. 

Readers need Nook 2 even more than B&N does

These are the things that have been added to the Kindle since Nook and iPad threatened the Kindle’s comfortable lead in eReaders -

1. PDF Support.
2. Price cuts from $299 to $189 and $139 (for Kindle WiFi) in just 9 months. 
3. eInk Pearl Screen.
4. Folders.
5. A much improved Kindle 3. Kindle to Kindle 2 was more like Kindle to Kindle 1.5 because there was no one nipping at Amazon’s heels. With Kindle 3 we see the benefits of healthy competition.
6. 70% cut for Authors.
7. Acceleration in ebook sales.
8. WiFi support in Kindle 3 and Kindle WiFi.
9. Accessibility.

There are a lot of good things that have come out of the healthy (and at times not so healthy) competition between Kindle, Nook, and the pretend-Reader. 

We need a Nook 2 to keep Amazon focused on improving faster and faster. We need an iPad 2 to keep Amazon focused on improving eInk - to remind them to keep kicking PVI/eInk’s behind every few weeks.

Will Nook 2 measure up?

Well, it has to.

B&N has, knowingly and perhaps smartly, bet the farm on the Nook. If Nook doesn’t survive not only will it lose its investment it’ll also lose out on ebooks. At the minimum B&N has to ensure it’s a solid #2 and has 30% of the market. Ideally, it wants to edge out Kindle and get 51% or more of the ebook market.

Nook 1 surprised everyone and it had a laundry list of impressive features – SD card, small LCD touchscreen for navigation, ePub support, PDF support, replaceable battery, LendMe, Library Book support. It edged out the Kindle (it did) and it wasn’t until Amazon added PDF support and cut the Kindle price that it again, narrowly, captured the lead.

Nook 2 will have to deliver on the same scale – It has to be a massive release because the Kindle 3 and the Kindle WiFi have really raised the bar. Don’t really know if Nook 2 will measure up – but if it doesn’t the consequences for B&N (and perhaps for readers) will be painful.

Filed under: kindle vs Tagged: | ereader wars, kindle vs nook