With the Next Generation Around the Corner, is it a Bad Time to Buy a Kindle?
On Friday, Amazon dropped the price on its factory-refurbished, 8.5-oz. Amazon Kindle 3 Wi-Fi eBook Reader to just $99.99 — the best deal we've seen for any 3rd-generation Amazon Kindle. Huzzah!
But hold on. The folks over at TechCrunch speculate that this could signal the heavily-rumored release of a next generation Kindle, since it follows the occurrences right before the release of this current model — and if you care about the potential new features, maybe you shouldn't pull the trigger on any Kindle 3 right now.
On July 12, 2010, dealnews noted a price drop on the refurbished Wi-Fi Kindle 2. And at $109.99, it was also the lowest price we had seen for that model. About two weeks later, Amazon announced its new version, the Kindle 3, available with Wi-Fi for $139. Consumers could preorder it for delivery on August 27.
And now the Kindle 3 has received a markdown. If we follow the above schedule, as TechCrunch suggests we do, there's a possibility that Amazon will announce its anticipated "Kindle 4" on or around August 22, with a potential release about a month later. As the blog points out, this is in line with the existing rumored schedule for the new device.
So is it a "bad time to buy a Kindle," as TechCrunch declares? There are rumors that the refresh will include both high- and low-end models, with potentially upgraded E-Ink technology and a touchscreen (in the high-end version only). And even though two models will bring two separate price points, keep in mind that the last upgrade was only $29 more than the previous-generation refurb. So dealnews readers, what say you?
Some people may desire a touchscreen, but I did not as I felt finger prints on the screen would only hinder the reading experience, and a color display is nice, but would limit the battery life. I opted to get the Special Wifi advertising edition, or whatever the technical name is, and for the price I couldn't be happier. The ads are handled extremely well, only appearing on main screen, and not during reading, and many of the ads are worth looking into.
Overall, if you're wanting a Kindle, and you can do without a touchscreen, or a color display, pick up the kindle 3 at this great price, you will not be disappointed.