About Kindle
How the Amazon Kindle Has Developed Over the Years
E-book readers have taken off dramatically over the last few years. The acceptance of this technology is due to a variety of factors, including clever marketing and improvements in how books are delivered and displayed. Most notable among these e-book readers is the Amazon Kindle. A quick look at its history and where to buy Kindle products reveals just how quickly this market has come into its own.
The Original Kindle
The Amazon Kindle originally appeared on the market in 2007. Amazon has continually developed it to offer an easier, more comfortable reading experience and a broader selection of titles.
Owners can now select from a wide range of books, magazines and blogs on a wireless network or by transferring files directly from a desktop or a laptop. While many users download directly from the company’s site, there are authorized sites that offer books for people wondering where to buy Kindle products on other sites. Sales of books in e-book form are now greater than paperback sales in the US market as of 2010.
While specific sales figures are not disclosed to the public, some sources say that the number could be as high as three million units sold as of 2009. Other sources have bumped that number up to four million units by 2010. Regardless of the exact amount, what is known is that the Amazon Kindle leads the market.
A total of 59% of all e-book readers delivered were Kindles at one point. There were over 12 million e-book readers delivered and almost half of those were Amazon Kindles by the final quarter of 2010. In 2011, the company released sales figures, declaring that a million devices are sent out every week.
A variety of file formats can be used on the devices, but the main one is the AZW format, which is unique to the device. Users can upload other formats from a computer using a USB or by one of the company’s Wi-Fi networks. These files can then be converted to AZW files and read on the device.
The company does not allow users to read files on e-book readers from other companies. This promotes loyalty to the brand. Users can share content with other Kindle owners, though. Meanwhile, the amount of titles available on the company’s site has increased significantly. In 2008, there were only about a quarter of a million titles.
By 2011, though, more than 700,000 titles could be downloaded, many in languages other than English. Along with this, offerings of newspaper and magazine subscriptions have increased. Books that are not under copyright protection, such as classic works of literature, may be downloaded free of charge. Some of them have been converted to the AZW format, so a small fee applies.
Some books, magazines and newspapers offer free trials or sample chapters for people who want an idea of what they are getting before they buy.
The Evolution of the Amazon Kindle
The original launch of the Amazon Kindle took place on the 19th of November in 2007. It cost just under 400 dollars and sold out in just under six hours. Demand remained high throughout the next six months and supplies did not catch up until April of the next year. This version has 250 megabytes of memory, although it can be expanded. The original memory can hold about 200 different text-only books.
About a year and a half later, the second generation of the device was released. The memory was upgraded substantially to two gigabytes, which means this second generation can hold 1500 different books. It is also slimmer and offers a text-to-speech option for those who prefer to listen to books. The price also dropped a few times, ultimately to about $259 a unit. Eventually, an international version was also released that was compatible with 3G GSM as opposed to the CDMA compatible version released for the US market.
Facing competition from Barnes and Noble’s Nook, Amazon reduced the price further to $189 a unit.
The next manifestation of the device was the Kindle DX in May of 2009
This version is thinner with a larger screen. Also, on the side of screen an accelerometer allows users to alter the display of the pages from portrait to landscape depending on how they want to view the screen. It also allows basic PDF files and users can use Whispernet in the US to find titles. It was the Kindle DX Graphite
that made a great leap in the quality of display in 2010. This improved quality is due to the E Ink display that improves the contrast ratio and makes books and other content easier to read with less eyestrain. However, this version does not display international fonts and shares more features with the Kindle 2 than with the third generation.
E Ink involves plastic film located in the display screen. Inside this film, there are tiny bubbles of ink, some of them black and some of them white. An e-book reader uses an electric charge to command the bubbles to arrange themselves in a certain way on the screen. This is what assembles the letters on the page without the glare users are so used to on a computer screen.
Similarly, this set-up reduces the amount of power required, allowing users to read for longer on a single charge. Despite the fact that the company does not number each generation, most people dub the version with a keyboard the third generation- Kindle 3.
There are two types of this generation. The first was priced at 139 dollars and connects to Wi-Fi networks only. The other version was slightly more expensive at $189, but can connect to Wi-Fi or 3G networks.
The latter model can download content from anywhere cell phone reception is available. In contrast to the last generation of devices, this one can display international fonts and has 4 gigabytes of memory. If the Wi-Fi is off, the battery can last up to 30 hours. For customers looking to save some extra money, the “Kindle with special offers” was offered at a 25-dollar discount for those who don’t mind looking at some ads before accessing content.
The fourth generation of the Amazon Kindle became available to the public in September of 2011. The company again offered an ad-supported version for 30 dollars less than the ad-free version that cost $109 a unit. Battery life also increased, offering users one month of power while reading.
This generation also enabled web-browsing when in Wi-Fi range and a slightly smaller size and two gigabytes of memory. Instead of an external keyboard, this new device boasts a touch screen keyboard.
The Kindle Touch
came out on the same day. It has a six-inch screen that users can touch to control the different features of the device. The Wi-Fi version had a list price of $99 with ads or $139 without ads. The Wi-Fi/3G version cost $149 with ads and $189 with no ads. The 3G version can browse Wikipedia and get books, magazines and newspapers through the Kindle Store over the network. It has two months of battery life and four gigabytes of storage. It is also available internationally.
The Kindle Fire
represents a departure from the previous versions of the device. It does not have the E Ink display that the Amazon Kindle has become known for.
It runs on the Android platform and originally cost $199 a unit. However, the Kindle Fire can run over 80 different applications as well as 10 movies, over 6,000 books and 800 songs, making it the most versatile version offered by the company. That said, it only offers Wi-Fi and the battery life is around eight hours. This is the most tablet-like manifestation of this line of products.
Increasingly, Amazon is looking to reach out to users who do not know where to buy Kindle products or are not interested in purchasing an e-book reader yet. This led to the introduction of the “Kindle for PC” application.
Users can download this for recent Windows operating systems. In 2010, a separate application was released for Apple users. Then, “Kindle for Android” allowed users to access content on their smart phones. At that time, no application for Linux was released. The company is constantly working on adding new features for its broader user base. Now, several languages other than English are supported.
Also, users can take advantage of cloud storage for their libraries. This will ensure that, in the case of an accident or loss of a device, a user’s books will still be recoverable. Also, text size can be adjusted for users who have trouble reading small text sizes. Additionally, the company provides customer support on the website.
Software updates for the different types of devices are regularly uploaded. Users can also read FAQs about known issues. If a problem or issue is not addressed on the website, customer service agents are available to replace or fix a damaged machine. Sharing over different devices Users have the option of making a book available in different places simultaneously for ease of access. However, they have to use the same account, which has a limit. This limit is established by the publisher of the book.
Users can simply delete the book from one location if they hit the limit and then put another copy somewhere else. As the device has evolved, it has become easier to organize content in a user-specific way. Previously, users could only sort by the date received, the author’s name or the book’s title. Now, users can put books into collections, which are sort of like folders.
This makes it easier to find exactly the title you want among the large number of books you might have downloaded. Similarly, individual pages can now be highlighted or bookmarked by a user to find specific passages or excerpts.
Independent Publishing and Ownership An exciting development in recent years is the ability of individuals to upload their own texts and sell them in the Kindle Store. This “Kindle Direct Publishing” has opened up the book publishing market to new authors, although some established authors have also released some books on the service as well.
Prices for these books may vary from 99 cents to a few hundred dollars for a single download. Of course, the company takes a cut of the sales of books on the site. One controversial element of the Amazon Kindle is the company’s policy that states the books are licensed to users and not bought. Effectively, this means that the company can remove books from any user’s account. In 2009, many users woke up on the 17th of July to find that they no longer had copies of some of the books they thought they had purchased.
The books had been deleted by Amazon since the publishers did not have the rights for those titles. The company later apologized and credited the accounts of the users affected. Owners do have the right to delete books they no longer want. However, they have to buy them again if they want to read the book again.
Otherwise, they should simply delete the book from a specific device and keep a copy for later use. Also, the company offers refunds to people who request them within seven days of purchase. Of course, a refund means that users have no more access to that content. Finally, a number of accessories have popped up for Amazon Kindle users. Lighted reading covers in different colors can protect the machine and making reading in the dark more comfortable. Stylish skins for every taste are also on sale on the company’s site. Third party sites have also developed distinct sleeves, covers and stands.
The Outlook Where to buy Kindle products, the methods of delivery, ownership issues and pricing decisions will continue to change over the next few years. No matter how things play out, it is fair to say the e-book reader market is on the way up. Even die-hard paperback and hardback readers are now giving e-books a chance and increasingly finding that they save time and space and are worth getting used to. The Amazon Kindle will undoubtedly grow along with the market.
While competitors will definitely try to knock it out of the top spot, for the time being, it is the undisputed leader in this exciting new area.