iPad Launch Announcement – Shipping Starts In March
The long awaited Apple tablet computer has been revealed to the public at last. It’s called the “iPad” and has had a fairly mixed reception so far. That’s no big surprise – Apple always seem to generate polarisation, and there’s plenty of that in evidence right now.
It seems to be the opinion of a fair number of reviewers that the iPad is no more than an outsize iPod Touch. An approximately equal number are very much more in favor of the device and are forecasting that it will sound the death knell for notebooks, netbooks and, of course, the Amazon Kindle reader. The true test will come in March, when the iPad starts shipping. On the face of it, it looks like another huge success for Apple seems the most probable outcome.
Currently, the device is being compared to the Kindle reader quite a lot. These are two very different devices – so a comparison of the two doesn’t make a lot of sense at first glance. However, since the Kindle has been the hottest gadget on the market for some months now – and not forgetting that it was frequently given the title of the “iPod of reading” – it may be that the comparison is inevitable. It may also be that the iPad is the iPod of reading.
Of course, the Kindle is a specialised device. It performs its primary function – allowing users to read books – very well and has a few supplementary functions, a basic web browser, a dictionary, receipt of newspapers and magazines etc., which it performs, quite frankly, less well. The iPad, on the other hand, is an extremely versatile device which performs many different functions. Unlike the Kindle it has a color display, which features touch screen control functionality and incorporates an accelerometer. It is therefore a great web browser, good for watching video, an mp3 player, an e-book reader and all of the huge library of “apps” developed for the iPod Touch will function on it. Expect to see some pretty radical games appearing soon.
So – should Amazon be worried that Apple is going to kill the Kindle reader off and eat into their profits? It seems unlikely. Despite the hype, there is a significant price difference between the Kindle reader and the iPad. Certainly, the price of the entry level iPad at $ 499 is only $ 10 higher than the current Kindle DX price. However, the entry level model doesn’t include 3G connectivity and there is a minimum $ 15 per month fee for the Apple device, which could go as high as $ 30 depending upon the size of your downloads each month. With the Kindle 3G is included and there is no monthly fee. It’s not out of the question that the iPad could force a downward adjustment in the price of the DX – but this was always going to happen sooner or later anyway.
One of the popular apps that will be used on the new iPad will almost certainly be the “Kindle app” which allows iPad users to read Kindle books. From Amazon’s perspective, it could be regarded as a good opportunity to expand the size of the Kindle book market. Apple will have its own book store, which might generate some future price competition. End users will benefit.
When the iPad starts shipping in March, it’s a fair bet that a lot of enthusiastic customers will be making their purchases via the Amazon website. It will probably be a very nice sales spike for them.
Amazon have the possibility of growing the Kindle book market quite significantly. It will also sell the iPad as a merchant, and probably do very well. The Kindle DX ticket price will probably be reduced somewhat – which would have happened at some point in time anyway – but will continue to sell well. It just emphasises how robust the Amazon way of doing business is.
Find out more about the Amazon Kindle and cast your eye over the wide range of Kindle accessories available to help you personalise, protect and enhance your reader.
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