The latest e-reader news coming in should elicit cheers to all the die hard fans of the Kindle as well as Kindle aspirants. For the e-reader is one step closer to the consumer, now that Amazon announced it will allow Best Buy to sell their popular range of Kindle and Kindle DX e-book reading devices.
This will bring the double-B in line with other stores like Staples and Target that are now also entitled to sell the Kindle e-readers. The Kindle e-readers have been available from the US retail giant Target since April, while US office supply store Staples will begin to sell the same later in the year. Consumer electronics giant Best Buy will have the new Kindle priced at $189 for the 3G version and the $129 for the WiFi only version at its stores from this fall. Later will follow the larger Kindle DX priced at $259.
“Our goal is to help people choose the device that’s right for them by providing the broadest selection of popular e-readers of any retailer, in one convenient place that enables people to easily see, touch, try and buy.” This is what Chris Homeister, senior vice president and general manager of the home entertainment division at Best Buy had to say of the latest move. Best Buy already has the Barnes & Noble Nook and the Sony range of e-readers in its inventory.
Clearly, such a move ensures that the Kindle achieves a better consumer penetration than ever before, which assumes importance in the wake of reports of Apple readying its smaller iPads for a launch during the peak holiday season. Sure the iPad is no e-book reading device but it might end up in the same price bracket as the Kindle, thereby making it a competitor to the Kindle not feature-wise but on a similar price point.
Best Buy already has the iPad to offer and it makes sense to also offer the Kindle within the same price bracket to appeal to those who are on the lookout for a device that’s designed primarily to read e-books. In any case, it’s boom time for consumers who are spoilt for choice than ever before. Not to mention they can make use of the Best Buy’s “try before you buy” offer as well as being able to compare prices and features of the competing devices in a real life setting more conveniently.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
