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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

10 reasons to buy a Kindle 2… and 10 reasons not to

Boy the Kindle sure looks like a great product and Jeff Bezos is everywhere talking up its virtues. This article provides compelling reasons why to buy one and compelling reasons why not. For those early adopters, the Kindle represents the next device that will be a must have for anyone who reads books, magazines, and newspapers. And it is very green, saving our trees.

At the same time, it is at a price point that will slow down that adoption. At just under $400, it will take quite a lot of e-book purchases to offset the cost of the printed product. If an average e-book is $10 and an average hard cover book is $18, the incremental $8 savings means that you have to buy 50 books to break even. Before I do, I expect at least to see a Kindle 3 or Kindle 4 released!

Will function beat cost; will customers flock to the Kindle because it is futuristic and despite the cost. We will soon find out. For me, at this high price point, I may still wait another generation. I too like the feel of the printed material in my hand.