Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Given that so many of us have ordered it, clearly the price is not excessive for many people. Premium products can sell well.
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Still, this is yet another Amazon product that is not dedicated to "raising the bottom line for our customers", something which doesnt seem to work to well for Amazon in some markets...
I'm pretty certain that the Fire Phone was heavily preordered as well and they sold quite a few of them in the beginning but for Amazon, a product which doesnt keep selling still a failure. That's what makes this super-expensive Kindle so awkward in their product lineup (despite the fact that Amazon is the _perceived_ "quality-leader" in ebooks): it does not add anything substantial to the device, it is merely a gimmick-enriched "deluxe" version of the same form factor to which they attached the label "for the dedicated reader", when clearly they make the most substantial part of their business with "casual readers".
Now the Kobo Aura H2O is just the opposite, and is, strictly speaking for even more dedicated readers, because is is slightly bigger, with much improved screen real estate (because dedicated readers wont mind, it's their main item) and more robust (water resistant, can be taken to more places without worrying). This is not to describe the "dedicated reader" but to point out what kinds of features people who use their devices heavily might find more attractive.