The Kindle Colorsoft represents several things for Amazon. It is their first fully colored E-ink e-reader and the most expensive book reader. However, when the device is not on sale for special occasions such as Mother’s Day, Prime Day, or Black Friday, hardly anyone buys it compared to the Paperwhite or the base model Kindle.
In the past calendar month in the United States, the Kindle Colorsoft only sold 5k units. On the other hand, the Paperwhite and base model Kindle both sold over 10,000 units. Meanwhile in the United Kingdom, the Kindle Colorsoft sold a paltry 500 units, the Paperwhite sold 3k units and the base model Kindle sold 4k units last month. In. Germany, the Kindle Colorsoft sold 500 units, the Paperwhite sold 6k, and the base Kindle sold 1k. In Spain, the Colorsoft sold 100 units, the Paperwhite sold 2,500, and the base model Kindle sold 2k.
The sales data above is available on all Amazon sites, which provide basic sales data on how many products are sold monthly. The system caps at 10,000 units, so likely, in the United States, the Paperwhite and the base Kindle are far higher. However, in all countries where the Kindle Colorsoft is sold, it barely moves the needle compared to the other models. This could be due to the other Kindles being significantly cheaper.
Colorsoft does not sell very well because the average customer sees a color Kindle and sees no difference when using the Kindle app on their phone or tablet. In contrast, with a traditional black-and-white display, the average person knows this is a dedicated book reader.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.