Bought a K2 in the past 30 days? Return and get refund for Kindle DX

[Alexander Turcic]

Just the heads-up for those who are still scratching their heads why they didn't know about the Kindle DX earlier... Amazon does not offer an upgrade program for the Kindle DX. Alright. But if you bought a Kindle 2 in the last 30 days, you can return it to Amazon for a refund and order a Kindle DX instead.

Of course if you are happy with the portability and cuteness of your K2, there is no need to follow this advice.

Related: Amazon Kindle DX priced at $489

[BinaryTB]

Junk! I'm on week 7 of my Kindle 2 purchase. So close.

[Daithi]

Just keep in mind that the Kindle DX won't ship until this summer. Hopefully this means June but it could just as well mean the end of August (and a delays aren't unheard of either).

[TheJohnNewton]

I'm still happy with my K1 for my needs but for those who need a larger screen I like the price of the DX. Way cheaper than the competition. I wonder if Irex and the like will lower their prices soon?

[Daithi]

Originally Posted by TheJohnNewton

I'm still happy with my K1 for my needs but for those who need a larger screen I like the price of the DX. Way cheaper than the competition. I wonder if Irex and the like will lower their prices soon?

I wonder what the executives at Plastic Logic are saying right now.

[Gideon]

Personally, I feel totally screwed over. Tech changes happen... but releasing an upgraded model in a few months of release without letting anyone know it was coming is just crappy. I've generally been a big fan of how Amazon has dealt with things before but this sucks.

[daffy4u]

The only bad feeling I have is that Amazon could still add some kind of native PDF support to K2 (though I know it wouldn't be as robust).

I've followed the DX rumor trail long enough not to be surprised by it's release so soon after K2, so that doesn't bother me.

[JSWolf]

IMHO, it makes sense to announce the DX now so it can be ordered and received by September for school.

[GJN]

Originally Posted by Gideon

Personally, I feel totally screwed over. Tech changes happen... but releasing an upgraded model in a few months of release without letting anyone know it was coming is just crappy. I've generally been a big fan of how Amazon has dealt with things before but this sucks.

Personally, I don't feel screwed a bit. The DX is not an upgraded model, it's a totally different model. I'm pleased with the portability of my K2 and I wouldn't want to give that up; it's ideal for my needs and I take it along on my travels, both in town and across the world.

The DX is designed for other needs and I expect to get one to fill those needs - it sure would be nice to replace stacks of reports in PDF format with a thin reader. And no, those reports will not fit on a 6" screen because they're full of figures and tables.

My point is that they're different models designed for different needs. One uses both laptop and desktop computers. So why not portable and not so portable eBook readers?

[Gideon]

Upgrade or not, it's not like they didn't know this wasn't coming down the pipes three months ago and there are plenty of people (like myself) who would get MUCH more use out of this model but sure can't spend money on another one. I'm a student, I've PILES of PDF's that I've had to spend hours converting or not been able to use at all and I'm ticked. I don't normally get angry about these consumer issues.. but three months? That's absolute crap.

I agree.. they are different things. But even the 'rumor mill' doesn't matter - there's been rumors of this sort of things since day one.

I don't mind being an early adopter. But being an early adopter means taking a chance on the product and the company - not "we're going to make a new one in three months but not tell you about it!"

[catsittingstill]

The downside of returning the K2 to get a KDX is that you may be readerless for a long time; the DX is coming in summer sometime, and it's only the beginning of May...

[Andybaby]

Originally Posted by Gideon

Personally, I feel totally screwed over. Tech changes happen... but releasing an upgraded model in a few months of release without letting anyone know it was coming is just crappy. I've generally been a big fan of how Amazon has dealt with things before but this sucks.

well they are giving you a heads up arent they? its available for preorder now. it will be atleast 6 weeks, possibly more, what do you, and others like you expect them, to say, hey we are releasing another one next year, and hold off on the dx for now? I'm confused

[Gideon]

A yearly development cycle is pretty common. If they release a new one next year, ok.. that's reasonable. Three months isn't. They knew this was coming out to some extent, and they absolutely should have said "Yes, we have a big screen version coming very soon" when the K2 came out as to not screw over their early adopters.

It's not an issue of them updating it, it's them updating it so quickly. And three months is fast! It's fine for them to look after their own interests, but you also don't pull crap like this. If you look at it in some sort of "do they have a right to do it" yes, of course, absolutely they had the right to do whatever they wish.

Is it immensely cruddy for them to do so? Yes, it's that, too. I'm not going to stop buying from them (I couldn't afford too! I buy a lot of books!), but I feel like an ass for recommending the K2 to so many fellow students for them to be screwed like this too.

[sirbruce]

Where was the year-in-advance announcement of the iPhone? The iPhone 3G? The MacBook Air? Of any consumer electronic device other than automobiles?

[Daithi]

I heard the rumors that the DX was coming. I also think there was a poll on Mobileread asking when it would be released. I believe many people had guessed the summer, because it would coincide with students going to back to school and using it for textbooks.

However, I can feel Gideon's frustration. If a beautiful color version is announced 3 months after I get my new Kindle DX, I don't think I'd be too happy.