The third generation Kindle reader was recently released by Amazon and, despite widespread predictions of the death of the Kindle at the hands of Apple’s iPad, it’s selling like hot cakes. Potential buyers face a wait of three to four weeks before their reader can be shipped. There have been a host of enhancements including longer battery life, twice as much memory, a higher contrast display, a choice of body colors and a smaller lighter case.
Amazon also released a new entry level Wi-Fi only model which can be yours for just $ 139 – the 3G plus Wi-Fi model is on sale at $ 189. It’s been a fairly busy time for Amazon and one of the other significant changes has slipped through largely unnoticed. Amazon have, for the first time, opened a Kindle store outside the USA. UK customers will shortly have their own UK version of the Kindle store. No more shipping an “international” Kindle across the Atlantic and having to pay in dollars for books – some of which are not available in the UK anyway.
It could be enough, in combination with the enhanced specification and reduced price, to persuade some UK residents to get themselves a Kindle. If it proves to be a success, it would seem reasonable to expect other “local” Kindle stores to be opened in France, Germany etc.