Amazon.com Inc is introducing Kindle, its wireless electronic reader, for over 100 countries, including China and most of Europe, intensifying a battle for the burgeoning digital book market.
The move, announced on Tuesday, gives the world’s largest online retailer the widest global reach among its competitors, including chief rival Sony Corp. The Kindle will sell for $279 in other countries. Amazon also said it would cut prices for its U.S.-only Kindle by 13 percent to $259 from $299, bringing its cost closer to its rivals. The new price is $100 lower than it was a year ago.
Amazon — which regards the Kindle as a pivotal growth driver — said over 200,000 English-language books from a host of publishers as well as more than 85 international and U.S. newspapers and magazines would be available on the international device, which begins shipping October 19.
“Our vision for Kindle is every book ever printed, in print or out of print, in every language, all available within 60 seconds,” Chief Executive Jeff Bezos told Reuters. “That’s a multi-decade vision,” said Bezos, visiting a Kindle office in the Silicon Valley city of Cupertino.
Analysts have pondered the likelihood of Amazon developing the Kindle into a tablet-like device for tasks like emailing, texting and surfing the Web, thus competing with devices reportedly being developed by Apple Inc.
But Bezos reiterated his intention to optimize the reading experience, saying the company rejects compromise, whether it be a touchscreen that affects legibility or computer displays that eat up too much power. At the same time, Amazon is working on making Kindle digital books available on more devices. Besides the Kindle, those books can now be accessed on the iPhone or iPod Touch.
“We want you to read your Kindle books on laptops and smartphones, anything with an installed base,” Bezos said. He said he was not “in principle” against making the works available on rival devices like Sony’s, but was focused on platforms with “large installed bases.”
E-readers are expected by some to be the hottest gadget this holiday season and Bezos said he had “a lot of confidence” that it would be a “great holiday quarter for Kindle.” Forrester Research estimated 3 million e-reader devices would be sold in the United States in 2009, up from an earlier estimate of 2 million. That could double in 2010, bringing cumulative sales to 10 million by end-2010. The research group predicts that Amazon will take 60 percent market share in 2009, followed by Sony at 35 percent.
In July, Credit Suisse estimated revenue and gross profit from the Kindle could reach $420 million and $35 million, respectively, in 2009, representing some 8.4 percent of Amazon’s total revenue.
Via Reuters
DIGITAL. TRENDS. FUTURE.
Oct
Social and Mobile Media in Numbers
Posted by Monty Metzger / Mobile, Social Media
Oct
Netbooks, Mobile-phones and Social Media – Mythbusting with Duncan Stewart, Deloitte
Posted by Monty Metzger / Conference, Future Trends Keynote Speaker, Influential People, Social Media, Video
Interview with Duncan Stewart Director, Deloitte Canada Research: Technology, Media & Telecommunications at the Mobile Media World 2009 in Toronto Canada. He talks about the growth of Netbooks, Mobile Phones and Social Media.
Oct
Details about Paypal’s Developer Conference Innovate 2009
Posted by Monty Metzger / Conference, Future Trends Keynote Speaker, Influential People, USA Techology Trends
Interview with Darrell MacMullin Country Manager, PayPal Canada at the Mobile Media World 2009 in Toronto Canada.
He talks about the upcoming developer event Innovate 2009 in November 2009. More infos about the event at www.x.com
Oct
International Olympic Commitee tries to stop Olympic photos on Flickr
Posted by Monty Metzger / Olympic Games, Social Media
When I read this blog post about how the IOC is building up pressure on photopraphers who publish Olympic pictures on Flickr, I was really shocked. It makes clear that the IOC is controlled by regulations, rights and its right-owners rather than by passion, emotion and equality which they say is the “spirit” of the Olympic Games.
So what happened: the IOC’s Legal Affairs department has send out letters to photographers, like Richard Giles, for hosting images of the Olympics on his Flickrstream. The IOC feels that this is a violation of the terms and conditions. Read the full story at Thomas Hawks blog.
So the IOC has taken a hammer and has smashed its own “olympic spirit”. The Olympic games are about experiencing and sharing emotions, passion and achievements. Thus social media should be in the centre of the strategy of the Olympic Commitee. The Blog of the Olympic Games in London 2012 is a small step in the right direction, but sadly was not initiated by IOC, it was the idea of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).
I think somebody should tell the IOC about the Streissand Effect and how they are currently messing with the social media community, bloggers, twitterers and of course photographers. Sueing is not the right way to “control” social media. They need to accept the changes social media brings to the overall media environment and learn how to cope with these challenges.
Why not listen to what is said in Blogs, on Twitter, facebook etc. and create a strategy to activate the “power of social media”. If they don’t do so, the Olympic Games could become a historical relict, because the Net Generation does not care (and watch) the games anymore.
Oct
100+ Social Media Guideline Examples
Posted by Monty Metzger / Social Media
This a great list of Social Media Guidelines, collected by Social Media Governance.
Oct
48% of Books sold on Amazon are electronic Books (eBooks)
Posted by Monty Metzger / Articles & Press, Future of ePublishing, Innovation, USA Techology Trends
Amazon.com Inc is introducing Kindle, its wireless electronic reader, for over 100 countries globally. Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said that for every 100 customers who buy a book, some 48 buy it as an e-book — up from 35 five months ago.
Although Amazon does not release sales or profit figures for the Kindle, analysts believe it commands No. 1 market share in a growing market fueled by more online activity and a lingering slump in publishing and retail bookselling. The devices have proven popular with readers and travelers who like the convenience of downloads and avoiding heavy books, but high prices have kept many potential users at bay.
Amazon has an agreement with AT&T wireless for the international version, under which the carrier handles global network relationships, Bezos said. The new device is designed to work with the globally popular 3G GSM standard. The wireless coverage includes a wide array of countries, including China and Indonesia, for example, so the device will work in those countries although units won’t be shipped there.
Although Amazon does not release sales or profit figures for the Kindle, analysts believe it commands No. 1 market share in a growing market fueled by more online activity and a lingering slump in publishing and retail bookselling. The devices have proven popular with readers and travelers who like the convenience of downloads and avoiding heavy books, but high prices have kept many potential users at bay.
Via Reuters
Oct
Amazon’s eBook Reader Kindle will be rolled out in 100 Countries globally
Posted by Monty Metzger / Articles & Press, Future of ePublishing, Innovation, USA Techology Trends
Amazon.com Inc is introducing Kindle, its wireless electronic reader, for over 100 countries, including China and most of Europe, intensifying a battle for the burgeoning digital book market.
The move, announced on Tuesday, gives the world’s largest online retailer the widest global reach among its competitors, including chief rival Sony Corp. The Kindle will sell for $279 in other countries. Amazon also said it would cut prices for its U.S.-only Kindle by 13 percent to $259 from $299, bringing its cost closer to its rivals. The new price is $100 lower than it was a year ago.
Amazon — which regards the Kindle as a pivotal growth driver — said over 200,000 English-language books from a host of publishers as well as more than 85 international and U.S. newspapers and magazines would be available on the international device, which begins shipping October 19.
“Our vision for Kindle is every book ever printed, in print or out of print, in every language, all available within 60 seconds,” Chief Executive Jeff Bezos told Reuters. “That’s a multi-decade vision,” said Bezos, visiting a Kindle office in the Silicon Valley city of Cupertino.
Analysts have pondered the likelihood of Amazon developing the Kindle into a tablet-like device for tasks like emailing, texting and surfing the Web, thus competing with devices reportedly being developed by Apple Inc.
But Bezos reiterated his intention to optimize the reading experience, saying the company rejects compromise, whether it be a touchscreen that affects legibility or computer displays that eat up too much power. At the same time, Amazon is working on making Kindle digital books available on more devices. Besides the Kindle, those books can now be accessed on the iPhone or iPod Touch.
“We want you to read your Kindle books on laptops and smartphones, anything with an installed base,” Bezos said. He said he was not “in principle” against making the works available on rival devices like Sony’s, but was focused on platforms with “large installed bases.”
E-readers are expected by some to be the hottest gadget this holiday season and Bezos said he had “a lot of confidence” that it would be a “great holiday quarter for Kindle.” Forrester Research estimated 3 million e-reader devices would be sold in the United States in 2009, up from an earlier estimate of 2 million. That could double in 2010, bringing cumulative sales to 10 million by end-2010. The research group predicts that Amazon will take 60 percent market share in 2009, followed by Sony at 35 percent.
In July, Credit Suisse estimated revenue and gross profit from the Kindle could reach $420 million and $35 million, respectively, in 2009, representing some 8.4 percent of Amazon’s total revenue.
Via Reuters
Language
About Monty
CEO & Founder at LCX - Liechtenstein Cryptoassets Exchange. Founding General Partner at Digital Leaders Ventures D-L-V.com. Chairman at Digital Leaders. Author of Mobile Future 2020 and Digital Future 2030. Loving Dad & Husband.
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