The new Kindle will reach mass market status at the magical $99 price point
As Amazon plans to release a cheaper Kindle next month, the smaller, lighter, faster, brighter e-reader will actually reach “mass market” status when its price drops below $100, instead of the $139 they’re charging for it today (Wi-Fi only).
“That’s the magic price point for consumers,” confirms Netgear CEO Patrick Lo. “Our retail experience shows that consumers are more willing to buy 2 products at $99 than one at $199.”
So my advice to you is if you’re not in a hurry to jump on the e-reader bandwagon, simply wait until mid-December to buy the Kindle 3 at a $40 discount.
That will also give you the time to evaluate other options, such as smartphones and more complete Tablet PCs – like the Apple iPad – that will let you read e-books, browse the Web, check e-mail and much more.
But at $99, there’s hardly any reason not to treat yourself with one for Christmas!
Jean-Baptiste Su is the technology columnist for L’Expansion, the leading business publication in France. He’s also the co-founder and editor of TechPulse 360, a blog at the crossroads of business and technology, exploring the innovation and companies defining the high-tech and clean-tech industries.
Jean-Baptiste started his journalistic career 18 years ago at IDG in France, first as reporter at InfoPC (PC World) and then senior editor at Le Monde Informatique (ComputerWorld). He later joined Decision Informatique, part of Groupe Tests (01 Informatique, 01net.com…) as senior editor, before heading to France’s financial daily newspaper La Tribune as its local Silicon Valley correspondent.
