The second version of the Kindle is sort of a huge deal. When a brand new electronic gizmo is ordered by a manufacturer for distribution into retail, they tend to err on the side of caution. Caution is good for the manufacturer since miscalculating demand can leave you with a lot of dead-weight products that you can’t sell. This is pretty much why the first Kindle was in extreme short supply since Amazon had a hit on their hands and they badly misforecasted demand.
With the second coming, they had the opportunity to improve upon the flaws of the first generation device, model demand based on previously purchased goods and make big leaps in improved functionality. The second Kindle is enamoring because it seems there will be more of the same goodness spread around to even more people. It also seems likely that the $359 price is targeted toward high-end users demanding now gadgets with a lot of room for the price to fall. While there is much debate about the true sweetspot in terms of price, it seems certain that $359 isn’t where Amazon wants to be this Christmas 2009.
I am incredibly excited by the Kindle but I’ll have to wait to make it a financially feasible decision. Personally, I love the concept but I’m holding out on a netbook tablet that will let me do Google Reader from the reclining sofa and bed. In either case, I am almost certain I’ll probably have a Kindle (or a version of) within the next 30 months. Well done Amazon, you just did a iPhone 3G announcement today.
