Amazon’s Kindle Reader Is Selling Like Hot Cakes
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
The newly upgraded Amazon Kindle reader is flying off the shelves. Amazon advise that it is selling quicker than any earlier version of the Kindle did in the same post launch period. It’s a long way from the demise of the Kindle which was predicted by many reviewers following the appearance of the Apple iPad on the market.
Regardless of all the hype surrounding the iPad, and despite sosme adverse reaction to the omission of a color screen, the inability to play video and a browser which is rudimentary at best, Amazon has steadfastly retained the position that the Kindle is a device which is intended for use as a specialist e-book reader. The result of this is that the Kindle reader is, far and away, the best and most popular e-book reader to be found on the market today.
The new third generation Kindle has a variety of upgrades and enhancements. However, it’s clear that these are all targeted at improving the performance of the Kindle as an e-book reader rather than introducing new functions in different areas which might make the device more multi-functional (like Apple’s iPad for instance).
For any e-book reader, the display is definitely one of the key characteristics. Amazon’s e-ink technology display, which was already excellent, has had its contrast increased by 50%. This makes it better than ever to read on. The display size is maintained at 6″ – across the diagonal – but the overall weight and size of the device has been reduced.
In addition to the reduced physical dimensions, a revamped QWERTY keyboard – which now has four rows of keys instead of previous five – the use of smaller buttons, to turn the page and the repositioning of the D-pad control, mean that the Kindle is even easier to use with only one hand than it was previously. Navigation is a breeze on the new Kindle.
The available operating time between battery charges has also been prolonged. With the Wi-Fi turned off, it’s now possible to go for up to as month between charges. Memory storage is doubled from 2GB to 4GB. That’s enough capacity for up to 3,500 books.
One of the most important new features must be the introduction of a new Wi-Fi only model for just $ 139. This is ideal for anyone who doesn’t anticipate the need for 3G connectivity. The Wi-Fi plus 3G model is on sale for $ 189. Which one you select will be dependant upon your own personal requirements – but the fact that both models include lifetime internet access in the selling price, and that there are no monthly fees, remains a massive advantage for the Kindle.
Although the Kindle success story looks pretty much unstoppable right now, Amazon are not getting complacent about its ongoing development. They are currently researching color e-ink technology screens, looking at options for touch screens that maintain the readability of the current e-ink technology and working on more rapid refresh rates for their displays. It’s even rumoured that they might be thinking about developing other personal electronic items. Amazon certainly show no signs of complacency.
However, it’s quite obvious that Amazon will only release new technology when it has been developed to a point where it will genuinely enhance the user experience. Amazon won’t be releasing a color display model simply because the iPad has one, or a touch screen because the Sony reader has one. They seem content to make their best selling e-book reader the best – of its kind – on the market. It’s a policy that seems to be paying dividends for them.
The Influence Of E-Books On The Publishing Market
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
The relatively sudden increase in the popularity of e-books has some major implications for the future of publishing. Driven by the growing popularity of e-book readers – like the Amazon Kindle for example – e-books have rapidly been accepted by the public. It would be very easy to consider them as no more than another way of delivering written content. However, they may prove to be the most significant change to reading since Gutenberg invented the printing press.
That may sound just a little melodramatic – but the fact is that e-books totally change the traditional printing cycle. Normally publishers release hardback books followed, typically between a few months to a year later, by the paperback version. However, now there is no reason why an e-book edition can’t be released at the same time as the hardback.
Obviously, because e-books don’t use any paper, chemicals or bindings, and because they don’t need to be shipped, they cost a lot less than a printed book. That means that the e-book edition can be on sale at a lower price at the same time as the hardback version. That could make a big difference to the profits of the big publishing companies – especially if you consider that e-book reader owners are probably going to be fairly heavy readers.
There have already been some terse discussions between Amazon – whose plan was to price all e-books at $ 9.99 or less – and the larger publishers. At one point, books by McMillan were (briefly) removed Amazon’s website. Things have quietened down a little at the moment – but it seems probable that e-book prices will fall in future.
However, it’s not all bad news for the publishing houses. Publishers will have lower costs when marketing e-books, so they should still be able to turn a profit. Alternative strategies for marketing books will also become available to them.
Amazon’s library of Kindle books is the far and away the largest available on the web right now. They have more than 700,000 titles to choose from – and there are a further 1.8 million out of copyright books which can be downloaded free from Amazon’s website. The large majority of these were published pre-1923, but there are other examples of more modern books which can be downloaded for free.
You will frequently find some publishers offering modern, recently published, books for free. Often this will be done for a relatively brief period – a couple of weeks or so. It allows them to showcase a new title or author and the increased number of downloads will help the book to move up the best sellers list. Once it has risen up the rankings, publishers may decide to benefit from the added exposure and charge for it. You might also find the first title in a series being made available free of charge. Clearly the idea is that readers will go on to buy other titles in the series if they enjoyed it.
It’s true that both of these marketing techniques could, conceivably, have been used with traditional books. However, it would be a lot more expensive, and therefore a more risky, undertaking. E-books are here to stay. There will be some publishers who will attempt to maintain their profits by using somewhat restrictive measures. It will be the ones that adapt to the new digital publishing landscape by offering value to both readers and authors who survive.
Electronic Book Readers Encourage A Growth In Reading
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
E-book sales during the first six months of 2010 were 183% higher than for the equivalent period in 2009, according to the Association of American Publishers. Forrester Research predicted that 11 million Americans would own some form of digital reading device by the end of September 2010.
It appears that e-book readers are encouraging people to read more. Owners of the Amazon Kindle Reader are reported to buy 3.3 times more books with their Kindle than they did prior to having their reader.
There’s absolutely no doubt that Amazon is the biggest e-book seller right now. They have more than 700,000 Kindle books to choose from on their website – and there are a further 1.8 million books that can be downloaded for free due to the fact that they are now out of copyright. Amazon has, very cleverly, made a whole range of free apps available for a variety of different devices which lets users read Kindle books without a Kindle reader. This could conceivably impact upon Kindle reader hardware sales – but Amazon are clearly happy to accept this in order to secure sales of Kindle books.
The sales of e-book readers grew exponentially during 2009 – heavily influenced by the release of the Amazon Kindle 2.0 during February of that year. They should probably still be regarded as a niche product – but they are starting to spread beyond the early adopters. E-book reader price reductions, provoked by the launch of Apple’s iPad which can be used as an e-book reader (among many other things), have certainly helped to make e-book readers more attractive to potential customers.
The Kindle became Amazon’s most gifted item ever over the 2009 festive season. At the moment it’s their top selling item – and it looks like this could continue for the foreseeable future. The third generation Kindle launch at the start of August has been a very effective counter to the iPad – and the Kindle is now flying off the shelves.
There’s not much doubt that the public have become used to the idea of e-books and e-book readers now. For the moment it looks like there is enough room in the market for both the specialist Kindle and the iPad’s versatility. Whether or not this situation will continue, or whether there will be a move to a more versatile type of e-book reader when Amazon eventually develop color e-ink technology displays, remains to be seen. However, e-books are going to be a permanent feature of the publishing landscape going forward and seem likely to make up an increasing percentage of total book sales in the near future.
Now You Can Play Games On The Amazon Kindle
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
The Amazon Kindle reader has been a massive success for Amazon since it was first released in November of 2007. The upgrade Kindle 2.0, released in February 2009 was a major factor in the rapid growth and development of the e-book reader market and the latest third generation Kindle reader, unveiled at the end of July 2010, has been selling like hot cakes.
Amazon have advised that the new Kindle 3 has been selling faster than any earlier Kindle did during the equivalent post launch time slot. It hardly conforms to the widely predicted death of the Kindle that many industry analysts predicted following the launch of the Apple iPad.
It’s a compliment to the Kindle – albeit a backhanded one – that, until now, its only realistic competition has come in the form of a multi-functional tablet computer which costs over three times the price of the Kindle. Were Amazon to treble the price of the Kindle, it seems reasonable to assume that some extra functionality could possibly be added.
However, that seems to be an unlikely course of events. The Kindle has set its stall out as a specialist e-book reader. The iPad is specifically designed to be a multi-functional device. They are two very different pieces of kit aimed at different market sectors. A blow by blow technical comparison is unlikely to produce anything meaningful.
Notwithstanding that, it’s interesting to note that Kindle games are starting to appear on the market. Apple’s iPad is clearly far and away the better device for playing games on – the Kindle’s e-ink technology display, whilst ideal for an e-book reader, is not suited for any application which requires a rapid screen refresh rate.
So it should come as no great surprise that the types of games appearing for the Kindle are mainly numbers games and word puzzles. Currently, the most popular Kindle game is the timeless classic Scrabble. Crosswords, Sudoku and a variety of word puzzle games are also available. We’re not talking about Grand Theft Auto or Halo Reach here – but, without wanting to stereotype, it makes perfect sense that someone who reads a lot might also enjoy doing crosswords and solving word puzzles.
Scrabble for the Kindle is currently selling for $ 4.99 and is the best selling Kindle game at this time. There are other games available in the price range of $ 0.99 to $ 4.99. There are even some free games appearing, a trend which – if Kindle games develop along the same lines as Kindle Books – will in all probability grow in the near future.
How Does The AmazonKindle Compare With Traditional Books?
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
E-book readers have been growing in popularity for quite some time now. It’s most likely true to say that the Amazon Kindle reader has been a very important factor in the growth of the e-book reader market. Whilst the Kindle wasn’t first to market when it originally launched in November of 2007, it was a significant improvement on other readers available on the market.
Amazon reinforced its market domination even further when it released the Kindle 2.0 in February of 2009. The large format Kindle DX followed in the summer of the same year and August 2010 saw Amazon release the third generation Kindle reader.
The Kindle is the top selling product on Amazon’s website. Just recently Amazon confirmed that Kindle books are outselling hardback editions – 180 Kindle books are sold for every 100 hardbacks. It can only be a matter of time before Kindle books start outselling paperbacks – and they will eventually outsell both paperbacks and hardbacks combined.
It certainly seems that e-book readers and e-books are now a permanent feature on the publishing landscape. The future of reading seems to be digital. Some book lovers may have an attachment to physical books, which is understandable of course. Some people are unsure as to whether or not an e-book reader would be a good option for them. Many worry that they might miss the feel of handling a real book. Others wonder if the display will be okay to read, or if the page turns will annoy them and spoil their enjoyment.
Making a judgement can be difficult. It may soon be available in selected retails stores but, for the moment, the main outlet for the Amazon Kindle is online, so – unless you know someone who owns one – it can be hard to see it working in order to form an opinion. There are numerous reviews available online – but a great many of these concentrate on the technical aspects as opposed to the user experience. For the majority of prospective first time buyers, how an e-book reader compares with reading traditional books will be of more interest than how it stacks up alongside other e-book readers.
So – if you’re considering buying an e-book reader, here are some pointers for you:
1. Due to the fact that they are small and lightweight, e-book readers are well suited for one handed use. This means that reading on a crowded train, bus or plane is easy – as is reading propped up in bed or lounging on the sofa.
2. The e-ink technology display is much better to read on than a computer screen. It really is just like reading printed paper text – although the background is light grey instead of white.
3. Whilst “turning the page”, there is a momentary flicker. The display momentarily goes blank. However, this is really very fast – you will be aware of it at first but after an hour or two of reading on an e-book reader you simply won’t notice it any more.
4. E-books cost less than printed books – due to the fact that they use no paper, ink or bindings. They also don’t require any road transportation.
5. E-books are more environmentally friendly than printed books as they use no paper, ink, bindings – and there’s no physical product to be shipped.
6. The Amazon Kindle store has over 670,000 titles available for you to choose from. It also has over 1.8 million out of copyright Kindle books available for free. If you read one or more books every week. your reader could finance itself in no more than a few months.
7. Battery life, with the Wi-Fi turned off, is three to four weeks.
8. Downloading Kindle books is easy. It genuinely does take less than sixty seconds. No need to worry if you finish your book when the shops are shut, you can buy and download a new book any time you like. You’ll never be stuck without something to read again.
9. You will be able to take a small library of books with you wherever you go. It’s great if you travel a lot.
10. You can download the first chapter of Kindle books for free – so you’ll be able to tell if you like a book before you buy it.
A survey of e-book readers in the USA found that 80% of them preferred reading e-books to reading conventional books. Looking at the list of advantages above, it’s hardly surprising. If you are a book lover, then the Amazon Kindle reader may be the ideal device for you.
Why Apple’s iPad Isn’t A Threat to Amazon’s Kindle
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
The Amazon Kindle has consistently been, since it was originally released back in November of 2007, the best e-book reader available on the market. That is the secret behind its considerable success to date. At the end of 2009, it seemed as if every personal electronics manufacturer was trying to secure a share of the nascent e-book reader market – and any new reader was immediately christened the “Kindle Killer”. The simple reason for this is that the Kindle was, and still is, the industry benchmark.
The recent launch of the upgraded third generation Kindle reader has opened the gap between Amazon’s reader and the following pack even more. It’s worthy of note that the latest Kindle killer isn’t even an e-book reader at all, but Apple’s iPad. This is a completely different type of device, with a much higher selling price and – when considered as an e-book reader – a device which suffers in a number of areas compared to the Kindle.
The latest improvements include a doubling of memory from 2 to 4 GB, a higher contrast display, 20% faster page turns and an extended battery life. The device retains the same 6″ display, but in a smaller, lighter case – which now comes in either white or graphite. Amazon has also released an entry level Wi-Fi only model Kindle for customers who do not have need of a 3G connection. This is on sale at just $ 139 – very close to the $ 99 value commonly held to be impulse buy territory for personal electronics. The 3G plus Wi-Fi model is priced at $ 189.
Almost unnoticed amongst the numerous technical enhancements, Amazon opened an independent Kindle store for UK customers. UK customers can now buy their Kindles locally as opposed to getting the international version shipped across the Atlantic. This only took a few days to do – but some customers may have been put off by exchange rates and having to use a credit card (debit cards are more common in the UK). Amazon has just launched a major TV advertising campaign in the United Kingdom and it may be that this, together with the “local” UK Kindle store could lead to a lot of sales for them. In the event that this proves to be a success, we might see additional local Kindle stores being opened for Germany, France and the other countries with their own Amazon websites.
It wasn’t long after the Kindle 3 was released before Amazon had, once again, sold out of Kindles. Customers are waiting for three to four weeks before their Kindles can be shipped and readers are being despatched on a first come first served basis. Based on the current level of sales, there is little evidence that demand for the Kindle is diminishing – hardly surprising considering the quality of the device.
Reports of the Kindle’s demise have proven to be premature in the past, and that is still the case. The Kindle and the iPad are completely different devices and there’s very little point in trying to compare them with each other. The Kindle is, far and away, the best e-book reader on the market. That’s why it will survive and continue to sell well – and also why Amazon will remain a dominant force in the digital publishing market in future. There will be some people who prefer to keep reading conventional printed books – both hardback and paperback editions. Some people will transfer to an e-book reader, in which case the Amazon Kindle will be the number one choice (as will Kindle books). Others will be more interested in surfing the net on the go, maybe reading the occasional e-book – and they will probably go for an iPad. Whatever your own personal preference is, Amazon will be more than happy to supply your needs.
Amazon’s Kindle Reader Is Selling Like Hot Cakes
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
Amazon recently confirmed that, in the four weeks following the launch of their Kindle 3, more Kindle readers were sold than for the same time period following any earlier Kindle reader launch. The new Kindle is, not simply in demand, it is the fastest selling Kindle to date. As usual, Amazon did not reveal the exact number of Kindles which were sold, but they did advise that, since the release of the new version of the Kindle, customers have bought more Kindles on Amazon.com and the new Kindle store at Amazon.co.uk combined than any other product.
At the end of July, Amazon announced their new Kindle 3. The latest version packs the same 6″ display into a new slimmed down design which is 21% smaller and 15% lighter. Page turns are 20% faster and onboard memory has been doubled from 2GB to 4GB – enough for 3,500 books. Battery life is now a month – with the Wi-Fi turned off – and the e-ink display has better contrast than previously.
Amazon also introduced an entry level Wi-Fi only model, for customers who don’t anticipate the need for 3G. This sells for just $ 139, with the Wi-Fi plus 3G model on offer at $ 189. Those prices represent huge reductions in comparison with the earlier $ 359 Kindle price tag. It’s a clear indication that the e-book reader market is maturing.
During the first six months of 2010, Amazon sold three times as many Kindle books as they did during the same period of 2009. There are now more than 670,000 Kindle books available – not including the 1.8 million free titles available.
The Kindle remains the top selling product on Amazon’s site. It is also the most gifted and most wished for item on Amazon’s website.com and Amazon.co.uk. With the strong sales returns for the Kindle and the latest technical enhancements, it would be easy to overlook the importance of the opening of the UK Kindle store at Amazon.co.uk. The UK store has opened with 400,000 titles available and could increase international Kindle sales. If it is a success – and why wouldn’t it be – it seems reasonable to assume that Amazon might open Kindle stores in Germany, France, Japan – and any other country with its own “local” Amazon website.
Whilst the Apple iPad continues to offer competition, this doesn’t seem to concern Amazon very much. The difference in price between the Kindle and the iPad is, for the moment at least, large enough to tip the scales in favour of the Kindle for most customers whose chief interest is in reading books. The sale of e-books will become increasingly important as the e-book reader market develops and matures. The fact that Kindle book sales are outstripping the sales of Apple’s iBooks by a factor of sixty to one must be very encouraging for Amazon.
The Influence of Amazon In The E-Book Arena
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
Amazon have been very influential in the recent growth in popularity of both e-book readers and e-books. Amazon’s Kindle reader first appeared on the market during November of 2006 and further updates followed with the launch of the Kindle 2.0 in February of 2009 and the launch of the third generation Kindle in August 2010. The large display Kindle DX was released in the summer of 2009 and also had an upgrade in August 2010.
Many industry watchers predicted that, despite Amazon’s pivotal role in the development of the e-book reader market, the launch of the versatile Apple iPad would effectively sound the death knell for the Kindle. However, after the launch of the third generation Kindle – accompanied by a reduction in the retail price – Amazon has sold out of their readers again. On the face of it, demand seems to remain high for what has now become Amazon’s top selling product.
For some people, the transition to reading e-books has been easy. Others seem to be attached to physical books. However, for most people the ability to carry large quantities of books around with them, coupled with the ease of operation offered by e-book readers, has been a winning combination. Recent e-book reader price cuts, prompted or at least hastened by the launch of the iPad, have made e-book readers more attractive to many consumers.
Amazon recently advised that they are now selling more Kindle books than traditional hardback books. The lower sales price of e-books – which use no paper or ink and have no delivery fees to speak of – certainly helps. It can’t be very much longer before e-books begin to sell more than paperbacks.
As well as the price, the ease with which e-books can be bought is another influencing factor. Readers can download a book to their Kindle in less than sixty seconds, at any time of the day or night, just as long as they can connect to Amazon’s Kindle store.
One potential area of concern for many prospective customers was a reluctance to be “tied” to one particular brand of e-reader. This issue has been very effectively addressed by Amazon who have released a large number of free “apps” to allow Kindle books to be read on a wide range of different devices. Currently, Kindle books can be read on the Mac, the PC, the iPhone, the iPad, the Blackberry smart phone and any device which uses the Android operating system. It’s actually a clever strategy by Amazon. Not only does it address customer’s concerns about being tied to one particular brand of hardware but every new app acts as a separate retail outlet for Amazon’s massive selection of Kindle books. Currently, approximately 20% of all Kindle book sales are destined to be read on non-Kindle hardware.
All things considered, it looks like e-books are here to stay and that they will gradually account for a higher and higher percentage of book sales. It also looks likely that Amazon will remain as one of the driving forces in the digital publishing arena for some time to come.
The New Amazon Kindle 3 Is Finally Launched
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
It’s been a long time coming – or at least that’s how it feels – but Amazon has finally unveiled its new, upgraded and enhanced Kindle reader. Dubbed the third generation Kindle by Amazon, there are a variety of improvements.
The latest enhancements on display in the Kindle 3 seem likely to appeal to most e-book reader fans. It keeps the same 6” e-ink technology screen, but the display’s contrast has been improved by 50%, which should make reading even better. The speed of page turns, already good for the Kindle 2.0, is now a full 20% faster.
The outside dimensions of the reader are reduced by 21% and the weight is just 8.7 ozs – 15% lighter. Battery life with the Wi-Fi off is now a month, and even with Wi-Fi turned on a ten day life is expected. On board memory capacity has been raised from 2 to 4 GB, sufficient for approximately 3,500 books. The new Kindle is lighter, smaller, has a better display, a longer battery life and lets users take a small personal library with them when they are out and about. What else could you ask for in a mobile electronic device?
For many, a color screen would have been one item on their wish list. Amazon have been dedicating a lot of resource to the development of a color e-ink technology screen – but it is not quite ready for commercial release just at the moment. Perhaps this might be incorporated in the next Kindle 4 release. Some users may have liked to see the inclusion of an SD slot for memory expansion. Nevertheless, considering that the memory capacity is now at 4GB, most people won’t suffer too much as a consequence of this.
In addition to the various upgrades, Amazon have adjusted the price downwards and introduced a new Wi-Fi only model for those who don’t anticipate the need for a 3G connection. The new entry level Wi-Fi only model can be yours for $ 139, the Wi-Fi plus 3G model retails at $ 189. The new Kindle 3 now comes in graphite, the same as the new DX model, as well as the original white.
Amazon has also launched a dedicated UK Kindle store on their British website. UK consumers will no longer require to have their Kindles shipped from the States. To begin with the UK Kindle store will have 400,000 Kindle books on offer. It seems reasonable to suppose that Amazon may consider opening other dedicated Kindle stores for its other “local” websites in France, Germany etc. in the near future.
The Kindle 3 seems to be in high demand. Potential customers currently face a wait of around about 4 weeks before their readers are shipped. It may be that all the reports of the Kindle reader’s demise, brought about by the release of Apple’s iPad, were very premature. The new upgrades, the lower prices and the fact that there is no monthly payment for connectivity, will be very appealing to many consumers. It looks as though the launch of the third generation Kindle may serve as a timely reminder of just how influential Amazon are, and will continue to be, in the world of books in general and e-books in particular
The Amazon Kindle Remains In Demand
by tkahuna2
Filed under Massage Chair Review
Whilst it seems certain that the release of the Apple iPad has had an impact upon sales of Amazon’s Kindle reader, the internet retail giant doesn’t appear to be overly concerned. Following another price cut and an upgrade, the 6″ version of the Kindle has now sold out. Amazon currently estimate that there will be a four to five week hiatus before any new readers are shipped out. The larger Kindle DX version is currently still available.
The newest Kindle version sees the physical size of the unit shrink (whilst maintaining the same display size), a 15% reduction in weight and quicker page turns. There is now twice as much memory, allowing 3,500 Kindle books to be stored. A new high contrast, low glare, e-ink technology display, coupled with a battery life of up to one month (with Wi-Fi turned off) means that the Kindle the is the ideal reading device, whether at home or whilst travelling.
Customers can now choose from either white or graphite colors and the standard unit comes with both Wi-Fi and free 3G connectivity. A cheaper Wi-Fi only reader is included as an option for the first time for users who don’t anticipate the need for a 3G connection.
Amazon will also be marketing the Kindle directly from some of its international sites – starting in the UK. UK consumers can now buy their Kindle direct from Amazon UK rather than having it shipped from the USA. A dedicated UK Kindle book store will be launched, and no doubt similar arrangements can be anticipated for Germany and France at some point in future.
Amazon recently announced that Kindle books were outselling hardback versions on their US web store . In the last month, Amazon has sold 180 Kindle books for every 100 traditional hard cover versions. They seem very confident that the future of reading is going to be digital – and these figures do seem to suggest that this is probable. E-book readers are, on a commercial basis at least, a fairly new development. On the basis of these figures, the reading public appears to have accepted e-book reader technology very rapidly.
Over the past few months, e-book reader prices have fallen significantly. The latest Kindle with 3G and Wi-Fi has a price of $ 189, which is significantly less than the $ 359 February 2009 launch price of the Kindle 2.0. At just $ 139, the price of the Wi-Fi only reader is getting into mp3 player territory. These prices may, or may not, have been driven down by the launch of the Apple iPad – but the hardware price was always going to fall, and it may yet have some way to go.
Whilst the cost of e-book reader hardware has been falling, the cost of the e-books themselves seems to have been edging upwards. This gives Amazon a very real competitive advantage over many of its competitors who are mainly interested in hardware manufacture and marketing. The huge library of Kindle books (over 630,000 at the moment and growing by the day) is a great asset for Amazon – as is the fact that, thanks to Amazon’s policy of releasing free Kindle “apps”, it’s possible to read (and buy) Kindle books on a wide range of different devices – such as the PC, the Mac, the Blackberry smart phone, the iPad, the iPhone and any device which runs Android. As the still developing e-book market matures and greater emphasis is placed on e-books as opposed to the hardware to read them on, Amazon appear to be very well placed to continue as the dominant player in the new electronic publishing world.