Amazon.com Launches International Version of Kindle Ebook Reader
Amazon.com has unveiled an international version of its Kindle e-reader that will work in over 100 countries. At the same time, it announced a price drop for the U.S. version to $259. The international Kindle will retail for $279 and will begin shipping on October 19.
Amazon.com, which introduced the Kindle in 2007, is trying to extend its dominance in the electronic-reader market to the rest of the world. The company controls about 45 percent of e-reader sales in the U.S., followed by Sony Corp., which has a 30 percent share, according to ISuppli Corp., an El Segundo, California-based research company.
"We have always had customers in countries all over the world buying English-language books from us," Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos said in an interview. "Now those customers can get English-language books in 60 seconds wirelessly, instead of waiting two or three weeks."
The international Kindle has a 6-inch (15-centimeter) screen and looks identical to the entry-level U.S. version. It will download books via third-generation mobile-phone service from AT&T Inc. and its partners. Users can access more than 200,000 English-language books and more than 85 newspapers and magazines.
Ebook sales are growing very quickly. As the prices of the various e-readers keep falling, sales will rise. When the e-readers go below $100, ebook sales will explode and paper book sales will really start to suffer.
