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

[Gideon]

It's pretty much assumed with Mac products. You know there will be one next year. It might be a big change, it might not. You don't see the 505 come out, then the 700 in a few months. It's generally a safe assumption if you buy a new product a much better one (or different but the same, etc) won't come out from the same company within a few months.

And we're not talking about a year, we're talking about three months. Hell, even if this was 6 months I'd not be ticked. 3's just in my personal zone of "that's crappy."

[Andybaby]

Originally Posted by 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.

Interesting Point of View, I think there is ample time involved, all the rumors said a new device was imminent with a bigger screen, heck, half the rumors for the K2 were that is was a large screen device. but regardless, they announced the K2, and it came out a few days later, they announced this over a month before release, I think that's a good thing

[sirbruce]

Originally Posted by Gideon

It's pretty much assumed with Mac products. You know there will be one next year. It might be a big change, it might not. You don't see the 505 come out, then the 700 in a few months. It's generally a safe assumption if you buy a new product a much better one (or different but the same, etc) won't come out from the same company within a few months.

You can assume, but you'd often be wrong. Lots of times a new version of your particular Mac model doesn't come out the next year. So you could be just as mad in the other direction.

MacBook Air wasn't announced even 3 months in advance. What if I had just bought a small Mac laptop even though I wanted something slimmer, not knowing Apple was about to release one? Okay, so you expect a new iPod or iPhone every year, but the iPod Photo came out 3 months after the first iPod 4G.

Originally Posted by Gideon

And we're not talking about a year, we're talking about three months. Hell, even if this was 6 months I'd not be ticked. 3's just in my personal zone of "that's crappy."

I understand, but before you said "If they release a new one next year, ok.. that's reasonable. Three months isn't." so it seemed you wanted a year in advance notice. And nobody does that.

[Kris777]

I can't see any problem to sell Kindle 2 on eBay and order DX version.
I think some people already do it:
http://cgi.ebay.com/AMAZON-KINDLE-2-...3A1%7C294%3A50

Bid History: Bid amount: US $345.00
http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=320368632056

[kacir]

Originally Posted by Gideon

... 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. ...

What is the current e-bay price for K2?

I am pretty sure that when the time comes, and when the KDX starts to sell (without the need to wait 3 maonths for the unit to be shipped) you can still get decent price for your K2. Especially when you are willing to send it outside USA.

[Alexander Turcic]

Businessweek has a story on Winners and Loosers of the Kindle DX. The interesting part:

And what of the owners of smaller, previously introduced Kindle devices? Do they get any discount on the new Kindle, which after all was unveiled less than three months after the most recent iteration, the Kindle 2? "I'm sure some of those people would want the option of having a device that's bigger and has extra capabilities," says Michael Norris, analyst at media researcher Simba Information. According to Jay Marine, Amazon's director of product management, "There's no special deal that we're offering today" to existing Kindle owners, such as a store credit or trade-in offer.

In September 2007, Apple (AAPL) lowered the price on its iPhone by $200 just three months after its launch. At first, Apple refused to offer discounts to existing owners, but later relented, offering them a $100 credit to use in Apple stores.

Some analysts speculated that Amazon initially wanted to wait before introducing the Kindle DX but stepped up its timetable amid rumblings that other companies are due to release their own e-book readers. In recent months, companies such as Plastic Logic and Hearst have talked up their own e-reader plans. "There is a first-mover advantage, and Amazon is feeling the heat of competitors advancing," says Forrester Research (FORR) analyst Sarah Rotman Epps.

So what do you think? Was Amazon actually pressured to release the DX?

[sirbruce]

No, I think their plan was always to release it before the fall semester. The second most asked question on the Amazon boards (after "Does Kindle work in <foreign country>?") is "Can I get textbooks on it?" They may have been pressured to announce today rather than in 2 months, but this device was a no-brainer.

As for the iPhone, everyone thought the it was ridiculously overpriced when it was introduced. The Kindle DX, on the other hand, is quite reasonable compared to ereaders of similar size.

[Sweetpea]

I agree with sirbruce. I think they announced it earlier than anticipated. You could order the Kindle2 immediately after launch, but this one will only arrive in a few months...

[Jill75]

I have not seen the DX yet but I am curious as to its difference to the K2 or other Kindle for that matter? Is it better than the Kindle 2 which is very popular these days?

[KarlB]

Kindle 2s are selling for very strong prices on eBay: $340 - $380. This might drop some when the DX becomes available, but judging from current Kindle 1 prices on eBay, it won't drop by much. So Kindle 2 owners should be able to upgrade to a DX for little more than the price difference between a 2 and a DX.

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by KarlB

Kindle 2s are selling for very strong prices on eBay: $340 - $380. This might drop some when the DX becomes available, but judging from current Kindle 1 prices on eBay, it won't drop by much. So Kindle 2 owners should be able to upgrade to a DX for little more than the price difference between a 2 and a DX.

And for that reason I would wait. I suspect we have not been shown any actual production units only pre-production units. We still have no idea if the DX is a glass or plastic substrate display. My money is on plastic as one of the target markets is on-the-go students w/backpacks. And they simply did not have any actual production units to show at the press conference, which was probably a rushed announcement in order to head off the potential competition from Hearst/PlasticLogic/Sony/B&N.

I would hate to return now only to find for some reason Amazon is going ahead with a far more fragile design than the up coming competition. Better to wait, see what comes out and then sell in order to buy, if it makes sense for my needs.

[Faenad]

We still have no idea if the DX is a glass or plastic substrate display. My money is on plastic as one of the target markets is on-the-go students w/backpacks.

+1. Such a large display, if made of glass, would be very fragile.


Also bear in mind that the DX is not ideal for novels.
So far I didn't saw on any videos the ability to display novels on two column ; A single column of text with a reasonable font size produce lines that are far too long for good readability (You can watch Amazon video on the DX product page to see what I mean). Double column display would be much more confortable.


And perhaps Amazon will upgrade the K2 for reflowable PDF support, if there is a lot of demands for it.
It's possible and for example of the PRS-505 while the result is not perfect, it's quite decent and by experience always better than using a converter (and you save a lot of time).

[Daithi]

Yes, I think they probably planned to release the device in the summer to coincide with students going back to school, but were forced to announce the device early because of pressure from competitors.

[DaleDe]

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 the K2 was an upgrade to the K1 but the DX is not an upgrade. It is a new device for a different market. I am sure the K2 will continue to be sold as it meets a different need.

Dale

[numindast]

Originally Posted by Faenad

Also bear in mind that the DX is not ideal for novels.
So far I didn't saw on any videos the ability to display novels on two column [...] Double column display would be much more confortable.

Interesting idea -- two columns in portrait or perhaps even landscape mode -- landscape giving a "two page view" as you can get from Acrobat Reader on a PC perhaps!

I just placed a pre-order for the DX. It's been a wild ride for me over the last few years. I started with a PRS-500, which got left behind on an airplane (WHOOPS). Got a PRS-505 but then got seduced by the PRS-700, and sold the 505. Got the 700 and was disappointed with the display quality compared to the 505. And I just didn't need the touchscreen capabilities.

I went to buy another book in a series, and got sticker shock by Sony's eBook prices, which were higher than paperback hardcopy; checked Amazon's and their eBook prices were much better, so this was the last straw and I bought a K2. (My 700 is about to go on sale.)

I have to say this: the PRS-700 reflowed most of my technical PDF study guides reasonably well, but on the K2 it is terrible. Also, the 700's display was brighter (higher contrast / brighter white pixels) than the K2 , which surprised me.

The DX will be my PDF library device, for certain; I am debating keeping my K2 for the smaller, more comfortable leisure reading form factor -- particularly important when I'm on public transit during rush hour. The downside of keeping my K2 is that I'll have no "cash back" from the sale to help pay off the DX This stuff ain't cheap.

I don't feel screwed by Amazon at all. As several posters have pointed out, the DX and K2 really are different devices, suitable for different tasks based on each person's preferences.

Even if Sony had a large format device right now, I'd personally still wait for the "K-DX" (to coin a term). Newspaper, blog, and magazine support is much, much better, and having onboard wireless is a big plus in my book.

Good luck!