MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Kindle Sales (Hardware) Appear to Be Way Down

Harmon · 05-09-2012, 07:00 PM

If you figure that in a few short years, 6 inch android tablets will be available for under $100, then the only way I can see dedicated EBRs surviving is if they are sold below cost. If that happens, then EBRs become like razors - given away in order to sell blades, or in this case, ebooks.

But by having the Kindle EBR as a different division than the ebook selling division, Amazon appears to have decided that they will only sell EBRs on which they can make money. So it appears to me that Amazon plans to move to the Kindle Fire model, with a KF that sells around $100 or even less.

Meanwhile, there's an interesting argument that the epub/azw file standard will be rendered obsolete by technology. Check out gyrovague.com/2012/04/30/why-e-books-will-soon-be-obsolete-and-no-its-not-just-because-of-drm

So:

1. price of LCD based tablets goes down
2. manufacturing cost of dedicated EBRs turns sales into non-profit business
3. more & more ebooks come out in tablet oriented formats per the above article

Result: no more dedicated EBRs. And maybe Sooner Than We Think.

05-09-2012, 07:00 PM	#56
Harmon King of the Bongo Drums Posts: 1,631 Karma: 5927225 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Excelsior! (Strange...)	If you figure that in a few short years, 6 inch android tablets will be available for under $100, then the only way I can see dedicated EBRs surviving is if they are sold below cost. If that happens, then EBRs become like razors - given away in order to sell blades, or in this case, ebooks. But by having the Kindle EBR as a different division than the ebook selling division, Amazon appears to have decided that they will only sell EBRs on which they can make money. So it appears to me that Amazon plans to move to the Kindle Fire model, with a KF that sells around $100 or even less. Meanwhile, there's an interesting argument that the epub/azw file standard will be rendered obsolete by technology. Check out gyrovague.com/2012/04/30/why-e-books-will-soon-be-obsolete-and-no-its-not-just-because-of-drm So: 1. price of LCD based tablets goes down 2. manufacturing cost of dedicated EBRs turns sales into non-profit business 3. more & more ebooks come out in tablet oriented formats per the above article Result: no more dedicated EBRs. And maybe Sooner Than We Think.