Should I Buy a Kindle?

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Laura Christianson

Amazon has slashed the price of their Kindle electronic book reader by $70, to $189.

Is it time for me to buy one, or should I hold off in hopes that they’ll slash prices even further by Christmas?

The reason for the price decrease, according to an Associated Press article, is because of a price war with Barnes & Noble, which dropped the price on its Nook device to $199.

The pricing history for the Kindle looks like this:

  • 2007, debut – $399
  • 2009, October – $259
  • 2010, June – $189
  • 2010, December – Can we predict another $70 drop, down to $119?

Similar to the advent of digital cameras for consumers, I believe the e-book reader market is going to grow slowly, but steadily, and will see adoption on a mass scale once the price for readers drops below $100.

Interesting note from the AP article: only 9 percent of U.S. adults bought at least one e-book last year.

So, should I buy a Kindle now? Cast your vote in the poll below, and please share your comments about the the pros and cons of your own e-book reader!

Should I buy a Kindle now?

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  • http://twitter.com/ninaeast Nina East

    Hey Laura, I'm having the same question. I actually like the Nook better – better colors, screen and readability – but worry it will go the way of the old betamax machine that didn't stand up to the VCR marketing.
    I'm sure the price will come down closer to Christmas – but you'll have missed the summer reading season. :)

  • Jan

    I got a Sony Reader. It was the cheapest kind and works fine. It doesn't come with any books but I've downloaded a bunch of classics from the internet for free.

  • Jan

    I got a Sony Reader. It was the cheapest kind and works fine. It doesn't come with any books but I've downloaded a bunch of classics from the internet for free.

  • http://twitter.com/kurtmichaelson Kurt Michaelson

    I bought a Kindle in February and have 60 books, some books are for seminary and others are theology books for personal reading too. I consider the Kindle a great investment and a great way to carry all of my books in one unit. It's easy on the eyes for reading, lightweight and is always in my briefcase when I go to work and great to read while in bed at night. Even though the price has dropped since when I purchased one, it is still a great investment.

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  • http://bloggingbistro.com/ Laura Christianson

    Ooh, Betamax — that brings back fond memories! Sort of. Our wedding was recorded on betamax (which was, at that time in history, going to be the NEW BIG THING). It took us years to find a way to transfer that beta tape to VHS… and then to DVD. Now I suppose we'll have to put it on our MP3 player!

    During the summer reading season, I'm reading good, old-fashioned printed books. I just returned from a few days at the beach, where I read 3 novels. Heavenly!

  • http://bloggingbistro.com/ Laura Christianson

    Jan – Free classics is always a good thing. Thanks for your advice.

  • http://bloggingbistro.com/ Laura Christianson

    Kurt – I appreciate your “review” of the Kindle. I was wondering just how easy on the eyes it is, since I do a lot of reading. You've almost got me sold…

  • http://twitter.com/kurtmichaelson Kurt Michaelson

    Laura, I’m sorry for not realizing you replied to my comment. The text on the Kindle is really easy on the eyes. I have not experienced any strain whatsoever while reading. It really is like reading a newspaper, slightly gray background and black text.

    I’m up to about 80 books now too. I recently added about 8 books that I need to read for school and it’s quite convenient to carry all of them in one unit.

    So, have you bought a Kindle since this post?

  • http://bloggingbistro.com/ Laura Christianson

    Haven’t bought a Kindle…yet. Waiting for the price to drop again, and saving up my Amazon Associates $$ so I can lower the price even more.