Amazon’s Kindle 2, which first shipped in late February, is selling at roughly double the rate of the first generation device, says a source close to Amazon. Approximately 300,000 of the Kindle 2s have been shipped to date, suggesting Amazon has made over $100 million in revenue from sales of the $359 device alone this year.
The first generation device sold around 400,000 units total over its lifespan, we’ve heard, although one estimate by Citi analyst Mark Mahaney put it as high as 500,000 based on a surge in sales in Q3 2007. Amazon expects to sell 800,000 or so of the Kindle 2 devices in 2009, or double the volume of the first generation device.
Mahaney’s most recent estimates are for more than 1 million Kindle 2s to sell this year, and the current sales numbers absolutely support that, based on how the economy goes. Amazon could easily increase production to satisfy a surge in demand.
Our sources on Kindle sales have proven extremely reliable in the past. Last August we nailed the number of Kindle 1 devices sold at that time. And we first broke the news of the Kindle 2 and the new large screen Kindle.
There are rumors that there’s a bigger display Kindle2 on the way. Anyone else out there who could confirm this?
Also, for those who are users, what are your opinions on the screen size, is it really an issue?
yeah, we broke that news last year. totally confirmed
bigger?
I prefer cheaper.
I have a first gen Kindle and it’s great, but when you’re reading fast it does slow you down turning the page so frequently. The 2nd gen didn’t add enough for me to upgrade, but I would upgrade if it had a bigger screen (at the same price).
I think the larger screen model would more properly be called a Kindle 3. I don’t see Amazon replacing Kindle 2 with a large screen model that would work better for textbooks, magazines, and newspapers, but rather offering both models. If you mainly read novels, you don’t really want or need a larger screen– unless of course, you have impaired vision. The Kindle 2 is the size of a trade paperback for a reason.
I’d maybe buy 1 Kindle…BUT I”D BUY 3 CRUNCHPADS IN A HEARTBEAT…here’s why
(1) Wifey – avid watcher of shows online…put my good laptop on the bed…laptop couldn’t breathe and it overheated, frying the inside. She gets one because it’s design is meant to propped up. Go anywhere in the ouse
(2) Little Boy (4 years old) – since kids are “on-demand” (given DVR and show it now)…they watch their shows online. If I get him to Nick.com on the Crunchpad…it’s all his 4 year-old fingers touching the screen to navigate from there. Amen.
(3) Little Girl – she’s 2…and demands NickJr.com and dora when son is on the family PC. They fight. She get’s a Crunchpad.
Mike…I’ll take 3 Crunchpads if shipping / tax hugs the $1G mark…hands down.
Actually, scratch that…I wouldn’t buy a Kindle. I just want the 3 Crunchpads. Kindle is just to niche.
For me, the current screen size is perfect. I agree with Karen that for magazines and textbooks, bigger might be better. But for novels? No way — unless there’s a desire to boost the size of the type to something the current Kindle screen can’t handle.
No doubt extra-large type would appeal to people with low vision, but then would we see the Authors Guild stepping in to claim it infringed on large type book royalties like their bogus claims that text-to-speech infringes on audio rights?
If Amazon does get into making the type huge, they’ll have to do something about the contrast to make it truly helpful for those with low vision.
Call me a tree killer, but I still like paper books.
And magazines too, the glossier the better.
wow
I don’t think anyone is confirming the launch of the Kindle 3 with a larger screen. It was first alluded to by the WSJ and an unnamed source (I think, but the article is now archived the article behind the pay wall).
I’m actually conducting a Graduate Research survey on Kindle users, and would love the participation of any TC / Kindle users. I won’t spam with the link here, but it is available by clicking my name.
we broke this news last July. http://www.crun...d-october-2008/
and we’ve confirmed it. at this time, amazon intends to sell a large screen version of the kindle aimed at the education market.
addendum: Italy is still waiting to add his number… ^^
Where’s "critical mass"? A million? Three?
I have a kindle 2 and have spent about $150 so far on it. Add that right to amazon’s bottom line.
Look nice, I’d maybe buy
refused to buy v1 of the kindle cause it was so ugly
bought v2 last week and love it — hacked my moleskine apart just so i could tote them together
i’ll buy the next version when the screen goes color and they provide an api (assuming it doesn’t get hit with the ugly stick again)
I had a K1, have a K2, and also have Kindle Reader on the iPhone. Of the three, I tend to prefer the iPhone.
I can easily read text on the iPhone at one level below the standard font size, while the low-contrast screen on the Kindle requires me to INCREASE the size up one level in almost any situation other than sitting outdoors in direct sunlight.
The result? At those settings one can actually see MORE text per page on the iPhone, even though the Kindle has a much larger screen.
As such, the K2 is going back. And one can only wonder just how many of the other 299,999 owners will do the same…
Call me crazy (or just wrong) but I don’t believe Amazon has EVER released sales data for the Kindle.
The link you provide for showing how you ‘nailed it’ for Kindle 1 sales was more guess work.
It’s all a bunch of speculation and BS until Amazon releases numbers. Congratulate yourself all you want.
This is way to expensive for my opinion… They should try to make it a little cheaper first…
Hasn’t Amazon had a Kindle ad on it’s home page for many months?
Here’s your Google Trend figures:
http://www.goog...=all&sort=0
I’ll believe Kindle sales numbers when Amazon confirms it. Given those numbers, which I think are pretty darn good, I don’t see why Amazon would be so secretive about it.
For the original question, I agree with what another response said. If most of your reading is normal books then the current Kindle is perfect. The smaller size makes it much more portable and easy to hold for long periods of reading. But if you intend to use a lot of text books, magazings, newspapers, or read a lot of tech manuals or other stuff that includes a lot of graphs and images, then the larger screen format would likely be much more useful than the current Kindle 2. The sizes really have different target audiences, IMO.
Can you imagine how the paper pulp industry is gonna get screwed in near future? Like it happened to cassettes on arrival of CDs…:)
I think Kindle is cool. I would buy one for myself and the family.
“absolutely support that” No they don’t. These are estimates based on the flimsiest of assumptions. Not only that, if these were even close to being accurate then the information would be considered material which is why AMZ has never confirmed or denied any of it.
It’s just amazing all this news you seem to break. thanks for all the reminders in the comments
Yeah Kindle is pretty cool. I m loooking for one and hopefully its not that expensive. The future is now !