Kindle Ready

For the last two years the ereader market has been dominated by Amazon’s Kindle. There is a lot of talk with the upcoming release of the iPad that the tide is about to turn.  Putting the two products head to head, may be a little unfair. The Kindle is a dedicated ereader while the iPad is a multi-function device which is a cross between an iPhone and a desktop computer. However, the comparisons are there, so Amazon will have to deal with it.

So should Amazon be afraid?

The short answer is yes. To start, the Kindle cannot match the functionality and full color interface of the iPad.  As with all of Apple’s products the emphasis on design and elegance is not absent in the iPad.  EBook readers have become accustomed to the readability of the e-ink interface commonly found on ereaders, such as the Kindle. However, first reviews of the readability iPad indicate have proven to be very positive. Indeed it seems unlikely that the Kindle can match the iPad’s beautiful, full color user interface, but it does not need to.  Amazon simply needs to provide user interface elegant and simple and people will love it even if it lacks flashiness.

So what should Amazon do with this new challenger?

An obvious starting point is to bring the price of the Kindle. With the Kindle DX at $489 compared to the iPad’s starting price of $499, this consumer choice becomes a no-brainer.  Bringing the price down for a Kindle 2 from $259 to $159 really would mark the Kindle with a price of a reading device and not a multi-function tablet.

Another easy win would be to incorporate a full-blown browser into the device. The Kindle’s current browsing experience is quite poor. It’s good enough to check your e-mail, post to Twitter or read a simply website, but it doesn’t handle images or more complex web apps particularly well. Word has it that this is one of the current improvements axes that they are focusing on.

Finally, a make-over of the user interface would be appreciated. The Kindle is touted as a device for serious readers, but is missing functionality for book management and won’t have the same ease-of-use as the iPad.

There is no doubt that Amazon is coming up with innovative ideas for ereader of the future. Let’s hope that the Kindle 3, like Apple’s iPad, sees them coming to fruition.

Look who's coming to town

Amazon announced yesterday that it has finalized a deal with two major publishers that resembles a pricing structure simlar to the iPad. The two publishing giants will be expecting to price new-release books up to $15 .

This is in an about-turn from Amazon’s previous system of pricing e-books, where it had policy of not selling books for more than for more than $9.99. However, they has given into to pressure earlier this year when the publishing firm Macmillan complained about the price ceiling.

So much for competition. As you have well guessed the loser in the end is … the customer.