Mike Mercury
03-09-2011, 1:58pm
Free Kindles for Amazon Prime Users
More rumors are flying around about Amazon giving away Kindle e-readers for free, probably to Prime members. This time CNET’s Crave blog picks up on it. Though it doesn’t mention the price point chart I brought up a few days ago, it does link to a GeekWire interview with a venture capitalist who used to be on the Kindle team at Amazon, which in turn links to a CNN piece which mentions it.
Taken together, the pieces make some good arguments. The Kindles have always been loss leaders—Amazon makes its money off the e-books (especially now that agency pricing is forcing Amazon to take a 30% cut of every e-book rather than treating the e-books as loss leaders too). That’s why Amazon has been so good about getting a Kindle reader app onto every major mobile platform. Kindle owners tend to buy more books than non-owners, and getting more Kindles into more people’s hands could accelerate the growth of the overall e-book market.
The synergy would also work the other way around: Amazon’s highly-profitable Prime program would become attractive to even more consumers, leading more of them to shift their purchasing habits to buy more physical goods from Amazon, as well as e-books.
Some people have been a bit skeptical of the idea, though. They point out that not every Prime member would necessarily want a Kindle—they subscribed to get no-cost 2-day shipping on their orders, and Kindle e-books aren’t shipped at all. On the other hand, it’s hard to say no to “free”, and it’s a demonstrated fact that often people don’t care for gadgets they don’t have until they get them, then after they use them they discover they can’t do without them. (My parents and cell phones, for example.)
Even if the free Kindle recipients turn around and eBay them or give them to friends or relatives, someone ends up with that extra Kindle, and it still grows the market and gives Amazon additional market share. And who knows? Perhaps Barnes & Noble might just follow suit. And if that’s the case, the e-reader market is going to get that much harder for smaller companies to break even in.
http://www.hardwaresphere.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/amazon-kindle-video-ads-attacks-ipad.jpg
CEA Pursues 3D Glasses Standard
The Consumer Electronics Association has launched a new standards process for active-eyewear 3D glasses. The standard will be determined through the 3D Technologies Working Group.
Those interested in participating are asked to download the request for proposal (RFP) here.
“The expanding presence of 3DTV in the home makes the need for interoperable 3D glasses more urgent than ever,” Brian Markwalter, CEA vice president of research and standards, said as part of the announcement. “As the hub of technology industry innovation, CEA is the logical host for such a crucial effort. Industry participation will help meet consumer demand and expectations regarding 3D interoperability in the home.”
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/5035836105_feebce404d.jpg
Pioneer Debuts Four New ReceiversPioneer Tuesday announced the introduction of four new audio video receivers, which represent the first receivers meant to work with the iPad via Apple's Airplay.
The four receivers are the VSX-521 ($249), VSX-821 ($349), VSX-921 ($449) and VSX-1021 ($549)
“Our newest receivers make it extremely easy for consumers to connect their iPhones, iPads and iPods, enabling them to access their music and video content as well as share them with others in one room or the home,” Chris Walker, director AV marketing and product planning for the home entertainment division of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc, said as part of the announcement.
“Pioneer receivers are made to deliver the highest level of audio and video performance consumers expect no matter of the source it comes from.”
http://image.aving.net/img/2006/10/06/20061006004407.jpg
More rumors are flying around about Amazon giving away Kindle e-readers for free, probably to Prime members. This time CNET’s Crave blog picks up on it. Though it doesn’t mention the price point chart I brought up a few days ago, it does link to a GeekWire interview with a venture capitalist who used to be on the Kindle team at Amazon, which in turn links to a CNN piece which mentions it.
Taken together, the pieces make some good arguments. The Kindles have always been loss leaders—Amazon makes its money off the e-books (especially now that agency pricing is forcing Amazon to take a 30% cut of every e-book rather than treating the e-books as loss leaders too). That’s why Amazon has been so good about getting a Kindle reader app onto every major mobile platform. Kindle owners tend to buy more books than non-owners, and getting more Kindles into more people’s hands could accelerate the growth of the overall e-book market.
The synergy would also work the other way around: Amazon’s highly-profitable Prime program would become attractive to even more consumers, leading more of them to shift their purchasing habits to buy more physical goods from Amazon, as well as e-books.
Some people have been a bit skeptical of the idea, though. They point out that not every Prime member would necessarily want a Kindle—they subscribed to get no-cost 2-day shipping on their orders, and Kindle e-books aren’t shipped at all. On the other hand, it’s hard to say no to “free”, and it’s a demonstrated fact that often people don’t care for gadgets they don’t have until they get them, then after they use them they discover they can’t do without them. (My parents and cell phones, for example.)
Even if the free Kindle recipients turn around and eBay them or give them to friends or relatives, someone ends up with that extra Kindle, and it still grows the market and gives Amazon additional market share. And who knows? Perhaps Barnes & Noble might just follow suit. And if that’s the case, the e-reader market is going to get that much harder for smaller companies to break even in.
http://www.hardwaresphere.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/amazon-kindle-video-ads-attacks-ipad.jpg
CEA Pursues 3D Glasses Standard
The Consumer Electronics Association has launched a new standards process for active-eyewear 3D glasses. The standard will be determined through the 3D Technologies Working Group.
Those interested in participating are asked to download the request for proposal (RFP) here.
“The expanding presence of 3DTV in the home makes the need for interoperable 3D glasses more urgent than ever,” Brian Markwalter, CEA vice president of research and standards, said as part of the announcement. “As the hub of technology industry innovation, CEA is the logical host for such a crucial effort. Industry participation will help meet consumer demand and expectations regarding 3D interoperability in the home.”
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/5035836105_feebce404d.jpg
Pioneer Debuts Four New ReceiversPioneer Tuesday announced the introduction of four new audio video receivers, which represent the first receivers meant to work with the iPad via Apple's Airplay.
The four receivers are the VSX-521 ($249), VSX-821 ($349), VSX-921 ($449) and VSX-1021 ($549)
“Our newest receivers make it extremely easy for consumers to connect their iPhones, iPads and iPods, enabling them to access their music and video content as well as share them with others in one room or the home,” Chris Walker, director AV marketing and product planning for the home entertainment division of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc, said as part of the announcement.
“Pioneer receivers are made to deliver the highest level of audio and video performance consumers expect no matter of the source it comes from.”
http://image.aving.net/img/2006/10/06/20061006004407.jpg