Introducing the Kindle, V.2?

Amazon’s invitation to a press event in NYC on February 9 has many speculating that the company is going to introduce the next generation of its Kindle e-reader. Although believed to be popular – just going by the Kindle blogs and forums online – there are no firm sales figures for the device; the most recent estimate by an analyst is that Amazon sold 500,000 Kindles last year.

The e-reader has been on backorder during most of its existence, and the buzz is V2 will be a hot item, at least among those who currently have a Kindle on backorder or who have been waiting for the new, upgraded version. The consensus among current Kindle group members is that many are satisfied with the original version and unless Amazon introduces some truly revolutionary features, they’ll feel no need to upgrade.

I agree. I have a first generation Kindle and it meets my needs beautifully. I don’t need it to read email or browse blogs (which it can do, but not smoothly). I love Kindle for its ability to store hundreds – thousands? – of books now that I have a SmartCard. The page turning speed does not bother me, although some feel it’s too slow. The screen is easy to read and I have it set to a font size that is comfortable for me to read. Nonetheless, I’ll be tuning in Monday to get the scoop!

Posted by Paula Krapf of Author Marketing Experts, Inc.