Quick Note: Kindle 2 price drops to $189

I find it interesting that Amazon didn’t respond with a price cut to the $499 iPad but instead to B&N’s new number.

I guess they don’t view the iPad as their competition.

When Amazon entered the ebook fray a few years ago, it offered a bunch of compelling features that led to its success, including but not limited to the free wireless connection, the broad selection of ebooks and the $9.99 ebook price point. With today’s move, it seem clear that the competition has caught up to most or all of those prior distinctive advantages. iPads and the iBookstore are reportedly doing well despite lack of e-ink screen, smaller selection of ebooks etc. And Apple has used the agency pricing model contracts to eliminate much of the Kindle store’s ebook price advantage. So here we are, at least for now, with only one big sales point for Kindle over iPad: it costs a lot less to buy the device.

And it almost goes without saying that this cut may be a prelude to the announcement of Kindle 3.

I just got a refurb US only one from Amazon for $189, guess that’s going back. Most likely for a nook wifi.

This of course is glorious news. I wanted to mention something interesting from the Nook comparison sheet/press release: the Nook 3g $199 includes the New Oxford American dictionary, which a few months ago I was raving about on Teleread . Kindle 2 comes with no dictionary, and Nook Wifi comes with the sucky Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Sorry, Joe Stirt: Kindle did not pay attention to the over-priced iPad. The iPad is a lousy choice as a dedicated e-reader and therefore not a direct competitor.

Hey, Aaron Pressman: are you seriously comparing a $259 Kindle, wait! make that a $189 Kindle, to a $900 iPad 3G? That Kindle — with a tremendous bookstore and true portability (lightweight, works in the sun on the beach) — can now be had as a footnote to the invoice for your iPad. Exaggerating? Lemme see: 32 GB (mid-range) iPad with 3G, $729 + min $180 AT&T usage … or a Kindle 2 with 2 week battery usage (vs 10 hrs) at about 20¢ on the Apple dollar.

Hey, Chris Peck: you might check with Amazon customer service … you might get a realistic credit against your refurb.

Sorry, Robert Nagle: the Kindle has a splendid “Built-in Dictionary with Instant Lookup”. Mine does, and I bought it in Nov 2009. It’s still in the spec.

It’s possible B&N’s Nook, Sony’s e-reader and the Kobo have a Plan B they can rush to market … but it does look like curtains for practically everyone else. If you can purchase a Kindle 2 for $189 — with free international 3G access, samples and purchases delivered directly to your e-reader (even on the beach), the world’s largest e-book store, text-to-speech, built-in dictionary, global social networking and backed by a company that sets new standards daily in customer support — why pay more?

More chilling for certain competitors: why pay less and get less?

Since when does the K2 come with no dictionary? Mine came with the New Oxford American Dictionary.

Chris,
Amazon accepts returns for full refund within 30 days, so just return it. But before you decide on a Nook just because Amazon decided to match Nook pricing, consider the following also.

What the similarly priced Nook doesn’t have is Kindle’s 3G mobile wireless that, since 2007, allows full web-access, albeit slowly — but faster lately — for U. S. Residents and as of Oct. 2009, included free 3G wireless Wikipedia access to Kindle users globally, from any Kindle book, for easy information lookups.

Since mid-May, over 50 countries, probably to prepare them to use the new software update’s feature of sending highlights w/a note to Facebook/Twitter from almost wherever you happen to be, have had full-web access enabled. Quietly. It’s an expensive feature to offer globally as mobile wireless costs more in most other countries.

That slow ‘Experimental Basic Web browser’ which now is faster if you use it like a smartphone — to go to mobile-device-optimized websites, has become faster with the new software update.

As I just wrote elsewhere, someone from Europe wrote me that he is enjoying his RSS feeds on the bus to work in the mornings. This is not possible with the Nook. The full-text of a text-only NYTimes is also available on it if you go to any of several text sites that offer the full feed. I have links to that in a downloadable file of links at http://bit.ly/mobiweb w/tips on faster access.

Slow when images are involved, you can disable them if wanted and it’s useful for information look-ups when on the streets. Smartphone users with web data plans will not need this feature. Others won’t pay for a data plan, so it can be useful for those (I’m one).

The Nook’s 3G is tied to the B&N store. That is quite a difference. WiFi outside the house or office depends on hotspots where you need to remain while using it.

From what we know of iPad 3G costs ($130 extra for the 3G model — $629 — + a data plan that is very reasonable but which still costs), mobile wireless is expensive and yet it is included in the Kindle pricing.

Secondarily, if you care about Searches in a book or Annotations made, these are much more cumbersome to use on the Nook. The Nook’s advantages are direct reading of ePub and access to public library books if your local library offers an attractive set of e-books (some don’t).

Robert Nagle,
I think you must have confused the Kindle 2 with the Kobo which has no dictionary. Kindle 2 has faster access to the dictionary than the Nook, as the bottom status line shows the summary definition (if any) for the word your cursor is on, and if you want to know more you press the Return botton to get the full entry, with etymology and, at times quite long sets of examples. It uses the same dictionary you like.

Thanks for the suggestions – I’ve got a message into Amazon asking them to match the new pricing on the refurb Kindles.

Chris,
Someone wrote to my blog comments area that at first his refurbished unit was limited to a $30 refund but Amazon changed its policy and he is getting a full $50 refund. ($189.95 minus $139.95)

But tonight I see that today’s refurbished one is $179. What on earth?

Yeah, Amazon will reimburse you the price change. But if you bought the Kindle through Target like I did, then you’re screwed if you bought one 8 days prior to Amazon’s announcement. Since I bought mine on June 13th & Amazon didn’t make their announcement until June 21, Target won’t do a price reduction since I didn’t purchase mine within 7 days of Amazon’s announcement.

So, I guess the moral of the story is I won’t ever purchase a Kindle from Target again.

revgeorge,
You’ll have registered your Kindle.

Call Kindle Customer Service at 866=321-8851 and tell them your situation. I believe their policy will be applied to Kindles bought within 30 days whether you bought it from Amazon or from Target.

There is also another possibility. Target allows returns within 90 days. If Amazon does not apply a refund for a Target purchase (I would like to know if they actually refuse this), then return the Target purchase and get a full refund for the device.

Then buy one from Amazon. But I do think you’ll get the refund. If for any reason they don’t give it I would like to know. Thanks.

Andrys, I had emailed Amazon & their response to me was that only Target could give me a refund. I might try their customer support number & let them know the situation with Target.

Otherwise, I’ll be going into the town with my local Target tomorrow. My other problem, besides being one day outside Target’s cut off date, is that I’ve lost my original store receipt. Usually my wife grabs receipts like that as soon as I get home but this is the one time she didn’t & I misplaced it. Although the Target rep I talked with on the phone indicated that with my credit card statement, they might be able to look up the store receipt in store. We’ll see what happens. Thank you for the advice & I’ll post an update.

After talking to a Target national store person & two different answers from clerks at the local Target I finally got a price reduction on my Kindle. It only took talking to the store manager.

I talked to the national rep on Wednesday. She gave me some correct information but also some incorrect. My wife then stopped & talked with a Target clerk on Thursday night who gave her what turned out to be the correct information on how to get the price reduction or how to return the Kindle for a refund if necessary.

I went in Friday night then to see about getting the reduction & ran into a stone wall masquerading as a store clerk who told me in no uncertain terms I could neither get a price break or return my Kindle unless it was defective. And I couldn’t even do that unless I had the store receipt. Being slightly ticked & needing to get to an anniversary party, I left the store & told the girl I’d never shop at that Target again.

My wife called the store manager while I was at the party & finally got the correct information & found him quite eager to help me out. So, I went back in two hours later, asked for the store manager, & he straightened everything out. Even though technically under Target rules he didn’t need to give me a price reduction or need to let me return the device since it wasn’t defective. He also said I didn’t need a store receipt as long as I had the box the Kindle came in & the credit card I used to purchase it.

So, that’s my saga of how I finally got the price reduction on the Kindle. My advice would be to only purchase the Kindle through Amazon or else be prepared to find a sympathetic Target manager.

revgeorge,
Thanks for this solid information on the confusion reigning at that particular Target store (and I suspect other Target stores).

I certainly will make use of this experience you described and will try to get clarification too, on the Target position and how it should or doesn’t have to match Amazon’s, though that will probably take awhile.

Glad you finally got the refund but that was an ordeal.