Kindle 2 Pictured - Photo Wikipedia
The new Kindle began to ship two days ahead of schedule. According to Amazon.com, the new Kindle 3 could be the fastest-selling Kindle ever. Amazon.com rarely releases sales figures, but said the new Kindle devices have clearly outsold the prior models. The new version comes in 3G and Wi-Fi only, respectively selling at $199 and $139.
There are many new improvements and add-ons to the popular e-book reader. The new version is aimed at taking on Apple’s iPad and the Nook by Barnes and Noble.
The key features of the Kindle 3 are a 6-inch e-ink display, 4GB built-in memory for storing around 3,500 e-books and a new Webkit browser that works well with Wi-Fi. The Kindle 3 is also 21 percent smaller than the previous Kindle and weighs much less. A major improvement is the speed. It is at least 20% faster in page turns. There is a built-in PDF reader, with new dictionary lookup, notes, highlights, and support for password protected PDF’s.
No cover is included but Amazon sells two covers, one of which has a built-in slide-out light for $59.
Customers in countries from Austria to Zimbabwe have placed numerous orders across Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk for the new generation Kindle devices. The company stated the Kindle and Kindle 3G became the most product across all of their website properties.
When it comes to e-book sales, the Amazon Kindle Store has the largest market share with 61 percent of the market. That is greater than the e-book sales from Apple (5 percent), Sony (5 percent) and Barnes and Noble (20 percent) combined.
Barnes and Noble recently put itself up for sale. If another company took a controlling stake in the company, they would become a major stakeholder in the e-book market.