More on TechnologyTell: Gadget News | Apple News
Amazon to offer cheap Kindle in Brazil to build market share
February 24, 2012 | 4:32 am
|
By Chris Meadows
Publishing Perspectives reports that later this year, Amazon is going to introduce its Kindle into the Brazilian market at a price of R$199 (US$115)—significantly cheaper than any other e-reader on the market. Anonymous sources “familiar with the negotiations” suggest Amazon may even go as low as R$149 (US$87) to gain market share.
(Of course, those prices are on par with what the device sells for in the US, but I suspect Brazil may have a higher salary and cost of living base than the US, thus making it remarkably cheap for there.)
Not only is this well below the R$799 (US$466) charged for Brazil’s native Positivo Alfa e-reader, it’s also below the US$255 it currently costs a Brazilian to get the cheapest US Kindle after import duties. It would give Amazon the cheapest e-reader available in the Brazilian market.
Currently, the number of e-books available in Brazil’s native Portugese is a relatively low11,000 e-book titles. However, if Amazon brings a cheap e-reader to the market, it could stimulate publishers to put more effort into converting backlist titles to digital and give a boost to the overall e-book market in the country.
If that’s the case, then Amazon’s raw commercialism might just have some benefits for Brazillian readers.
|
Related Posts:
Previous
SUBSCRIBE TO RSS
Comments:
Uh, the pricing of electronics in Brazil is primarily determined by high import duties, not the cost of living.
http://www.ehow.com/list_6529981_import-duties-brazil.html
Amazon might have found a loophole or they might be eating the duties.
It’s not cheap for Brasil either – only in Brasil all goods made in other countries are subject to very high taxes — thus Nike shoes, Apple products, etc. are EXTREMELY expensive for the average Brasilian. — It’s not that Brasilians make more money or spend more money on other things, just that foreign goods are more of a luxury,