Buy Kindle now or wait for 2.0 release?

[TadW]

So we all heard the completely unsubstantiated rumors that Amazon is going to launch a new Kindle reader this fall.

Which begs the question for all prospective Kindle owners: Should you buy one now, or wait until fall when the rumors turn out to be either true or false?

[Nate the great]

Neither. Get whatever works for you; don't fixate on one product.

[daffy4u]

I might end up having 2 Kindles.

[TheJohnNewton]

What Nate said. Besides the features mentioned in the rumor are pretty bland, new colors, slightly smaller, improved interface. Where's the beef? A larger screen version might be interesting to those attracted to the Irex.

[Alexander Turcic]

I agree; unless there are fundamental changes to the underlying screen technology, I don't see how the rumored new device could be such a major improvement (using the iPod 1G->4G analogy).

[HarryT]

There will always be something better in 6 months time. Carpe diem.

[daffy4u]

There are some folks on the Amazon boards reporting shipping delays again. One is reporting 3 weeks.

[LazyScot]

Some of us don't have the option of buying one now....

Of course, the rumour could have been started by the AntiKindleAlliance in a desperate attempt to stop it becoming successful. (This message brought to you by Paranoids, inc.)

Seriously, as has been said, if you want it, buy. Or have you still not bought a computer, laptop, digital camera, phone, PDA, video game, TV....?

[DixieGal]

Originally Posted by HarryT

There will always be something better in 6 months time. Carpe diem.

Agreed. If you have a reading device and are happy using it, then it's a non-issue. If you need one now, then get one now. If you wait, well, just remember that those who wanted a Kindle and waited even longer got a discount because the price came down 6 months after they launched it. (She says as she smugly cuddles her EB-1150, knowing that it will be unchanged and will work splendidly for a long time to come.)

[HarryT]

For me personally, being without an eBook Reader for six months would be worth a heck of a lot more than a lousy $50 .

[Jack B Nimble]

Originally Posted by HarryT

For me personally, being without an eBook Reader for six months would be worth a heck of a lot more than a lousy $50 .

That may well be the case for many of us, but not everyone looking for one is currently without. If you have a functional reader, and are just deciding when to upgrade, $50 may be worth the six months of using the old solution. Or, in this case, three months may be worth the wait to see if you like the new one, or if a new model might mean a great deal on the old model.

My smartphone died in January, and I have been using my wife's old phone while waiting for the iPhone and associated wannabes to hit the shelves before I decide on one of those or something else. Yeah, I have missed the functionality, but I can still make calls, and I have revived my old PDA for another round of service -- the world still spins. And... it's better than kicking myself six months later. Yes, something better may come along right after I spend my money, but there is still such a thing as a bad time to buy.

Jack

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Jack B Nimble

Yes, something better may come along right after I spend my money, but there is still such a thing as a bad time to buy.

Certainly, but I honestly don't think we're in one of those times at the moment. We have the Kindle, the CyBook Gen3, the Sony Reader, and a host of somewhat more obscure machines, and they are all good. It's not as if there's any radically new eBook reading solution on the horizon as there was, say, 2 years ago, when eInk machines were about to arrive.

[Nate the great]

And don't forget all the legacy devices out there.

[HarryT]

That's a very valid point, Nate. In all the "hype" about the latest and greatest it's all too easy to forget that there any many older devices - eg Palm and Windows CE devices - which make excellent bookreaders, and which can be picked up at very low prices on sites like eBay. I happily read on Windows CE / Pocket PC devices for over 20 years, and still read in odd moments, when I don't have my Gen3 with me, on my Windows Mobile Smartphone. The nice thing, from my perspective, is that I can read the same MobiPocket format books on all these different devices.

[TallMomof2]

If the rumors are true then I know what my Mom is getting for Christmas... my current Kindle!