Ad-Supported Kindle?

[wyndslash]

well, the good thing is that at least users get to vote for which ads they want to see...hmmm

[grumpy3b]

ummmmm, thought this might be worth the mention, this is the Kindle 4 we are talking about. I don't think anyone picked up on the use of the phrase "new Kindle" in the article. Look it has a different and hopefully improved d-pad thingy. Still think they need a touch panel but we'll see.

If they do push ads I want better and faster web access via 3g as well as other party-favors.

[Elfwreck]

I wonder how long it'll take the advertisers to realize who's actually reading the ads: the high school & college kids who can't afford a full-price ereader. Which means they won't be buying many of the advertised products, either.

I suppose we might see targeted-at-kids ads, but those are problematic.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

I wonder how long it'll take the advertisers to realize who's actually reading the ads: the high school & college kids who can't afford a full-price ereader. Which means they won't be buying many of the advertised products, either.

I suppose we might see targeted-at-kids ads, but those are problematic.

Ads targeted to your reading list, including sideloaded files!

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by kjk

Ads targeted to your reading list, including sideloaded files!

We've seen no indication that Amazon has access to the sideloaded files. Obviously, if they have wireless access to the device, they might be looking at them--but since there's no rule about how files/documents need to be named, or what would be in them, there's no sense, from a marketing viewpoint, in gathering that info.

They don't know if "Tolkein_Hobbit.mobi" is your DRM-stripped copy of The Hobbit, a bootleg copy, or a set of essays about the Hobbit collected from a dozen blogs & combined into an ebook. Looking at the complete metadata might give more insight, or might be useless.

Too much data to bother with, especially as gathering it involves breaking privacy. (Which they haven't promised readers, but if word got out that they were collecting info about what else is on people's Kindles, they'd lose a lot of business and possibly face weird lawsuits--especially involving those children who've been given Kindles. It's illegal to gather info about kids below a certain age.)

[tubemonkey]

Additional offers include:

• Free $100 Amazon.com Gift Card when you get an Amazon Rewards Visa Card (normally $30)
• Buy one of 30 Kindle bestsellers with your Visa card and get $10 Amazon.com credit
• 50% off Roku Streaming Player (normally $99)

I just might jump on this. I'm in the market for a couple of Kindles for gifts and some of these offers will more than pay for them.

[taming]

Is it on the website? I am not seeing it when surfing the site from Canada. Bet it's US only.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by taming

Is it on the website? I am not seeing it when surfing the site from Canada. Bet it's US only.

Official announcement supposedly Tuesday (although Amazon sometimes announces in the dead of night)

[Giggleton]

lol, one of my favorite things about the Kindle is reading without bright flashy things on the top and sides of the text. Of course I had web ads turned off for years, but lately I have seen some sites use locally stored image files for ad placement! The nerve of some people!

Having said that, I probably wouldn't mind the screensavers being replaced with ads for new books, we are supposed to be reading after all. But from the article, if it is not misinfo, Amazon is losing it!

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by taming

Is it on the website? I am not seeing it when surfing the site from Canada. Bet it's US only.

Looks like it. Hit the US website.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Looks like it. Hit the US website.

Buick, Chase, Olay, Visa... Sounds more like a sponsorship deal, at least at first.

[RockdaMan]

So this is hilarious to me: the tech bloggers, nearly all iPad or its ilk fans all, are in a tizzy about this:

Want to save a few bucks on a Kindle and enjoy being told what to buy?

If the ads stay out of Kindle books and remain limited to the navigation screen and screen saver, they will at least be unobtrusive, and users might be OK with that.

So far ads don't appear within books themselves, though many feel that's coming soon.

if Amazon hooks you on the Kindle now with these cheap devices, there’s a good chance you’ll stick with the platform for years to come.

it sets a new precedent in the gadget arena that could very well carry over to ad-discounted tablets, netbooks, PMPs, and who knows what else.

it seems problematic to us to ship a pair of identical products that cost within $25 of one another and expect Joe Sixpack to grok the difference. In fact, we're guessing that this will inevitably lead to consumer complaints from those who can't figure out why their "on sale Kindle" isn't nearly as enjoyable to read as "Bob's Kindle... that he found during a sale."

[Sapphire]

Originally Posted by grumpy3b

ummmmm, thought this might be worth the mention, this is the Kindle 4 we are talking about. I don't think anyone picked up on the use of the phrase "new Kindle" in the article. Look it has a different and hopefully improved d-pad thingy.

The $114 Kindle is the current 6" Wi-Fi model:

"Same bestselling Kindle, plus special offers and sponsored screensavers." - Amazon

"And other than the addition of ads, the latest Kindle is identical to the current one that uses Wi-Fi to wirelessly download books..." - article

Originally Posted by dallas

I bet the $139 model goes away if the $114 model sells even modestly well.

Since it's the same hardware, they could easily offer both.

I think that the price break will tempt a lot of parents who would like to get Kindles for their children. (The purchase limit is three.)

It certainly would make a great graduation gift.

[grumpy3b]

Originally Posted by Sapphire

The $114 Kindle is the current 6" Wi-Fi model:

"Same bestselling Kindle, plus special offers and sponsored screensavers." - Amazon

"And other than the addition of ads, the latest Kindle is identical to the current one that uses Wi-Fi to wirelessly download books..." - article


Since it's the same hardware, they could easily offer both.

Well, in my defense I took the use of the phrase "the new Kindle" to mean, well a NEW Kindle model. hahaha, silly me expecting a reporter to use words well.

Thanks for the info on it being the same device. I guess a tweaked firmware to allow for the ads.

Oh, well, back to waiting.

[stonetools]

$25 discount isn't enough discount to interest me

Glad you're rich . $25 is $25, and there are lot of college students and starving artists who will jump on this.

This is just the thin edge of the wedge. I think we will see ad-supported books soon . You get a free or discounted book with ads. Want to get rid of the ads, click on the upgrade link.
Initially, my reaction to the idea of ad supported books was "UGH!" but then I remembber that my comic books way back when had ads (remember Charles Atlas, Mac and his obnoxious girlfriend?) Magazines have always had ads , and of coourse there are ad supported video games.
And what do you know, there is this:

A Spanish startup called 24symbols is launching this summer with the promise to do just that: provide a subscription service and become the "Spotify for e-books." (Much like Spotify, 24symbols won't be available at launch in the U.S.)

24symbols will offer an ad-supported and a subscription-based access to e-books, the latter running about 10€ per month. The books are all DRM-free, but 24symbols is entirely cloud-based. In other words, books are streamed, not downloaded for reading.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives...6fed016101ab,0

I think we'll see Amazon follow the Spanish startup in short order. Fasten your seat belts...