CNet.com article: Feb 18, 2010
Amazon recently announced they released a new Blackberry app which allows users to download the Kindle software to purchase and read books on their Blackberry. Two other mobile devices where the Kindle application is presently available are the IPhone and the IPod Touch. Plans to offer this application to Macs and the IPad are currently in the works. The idea behind this move is to take an advantage over other eBook distributors like Barnes and Noble by allowing other hardware to operate the software and increasing the availability. The Kindle is priced at $259 and is sold exclusively through Amazon. The Blackberry download is free and the average cost for purchases is $9.99.
While it does expand the product availablity, I believe that it actually hurts Amazon.
They developed the Kindle to enter a previously vacant market. By enabling use on different hardware, it actually deters consumers from buying an actual Kindle. I believe that this is just a lazy attempt to try and hold on to the eBook market without having to invest money to create upgrades to the already existing Kindle. I believe they had a great idea and other brands such as Barnes and Noble and even Apple thought so too, hence why they have manuevered into the eBook reader market. A little investment and innovation could propel their original idea into the dominating hardware. Instead I get the sense that Amazon is smelling blood in the water and it’s their own. They have one thing going for them. Flexibility. An appealing feature is that once you purchase a book from them you can read it on a Blackberry, Kindle, Ipod Touch/IPhone, and Windows PCs. This offers greater flexibility in minimizing the amount of gadgets you carry on a daily basis. Personally, this alone is attractive as I have one or more of the devices that support the Kindle software. This is also appealing to customers who might not typically buy the Kindle. As a Blackberry user, I can’t imagine that this would be good to use for long term reading. The screen on a Blackberry isn’t very big. So the text would be small and very hard to read or large and would take longer to read. In addition, depending on the model of Blackberry, the battery life might not last as long.
I think that Amazon should stop playing the game conservatively and just go for it. They have generated enough of a customer base to make changes to their current hardware offering by listening to their customer needs and develop a Kindle product tailored more towards what their customers want and what would convert new potential customers. In order to maintain an edge means that you have to change. If not, Amazon runs the risk of being overshadowed by hardware manufacturers who develop deals with the publishers directly vs. dealing with Amazon.
