If you are interested in a Kindle but not sure if you do or don't want Special Offers on your device you now don't have to make that decision before ordering. The newest Kindle (fourth generation), which can be had with the Special Offers for only $79, allows owners to have the offers removed at any time by paying Amazon a $30 fee.
Previously once a purchaser had made the decision to buy a Kindle with Special Offers those advertisements would be there for the life of the product. Now, customers can buy the Special Offers version of the Kindle and pay later to have the offers removed if they are bothersome. The $30 fee Amazon is charging for offer removal makes the total cost of the device exactly the same as if the consumer had purchased it without offers in the first place.
The process for removing the ads is not hidden, very simple, and doesn't even require a call to Amazon. To remove the offers from a fourth generation Kindle simply sign into your Amazon account page, navigate to “Manage Your Kindle” and click “Manage Your Devices." On that page there is an option to unsubscribe from Special Offers which will prompt you to pay the $30 fee to Amazon. Easy stuff.
Currently it's being reported that only the newest Kindle model has this option but it will likely also be possible on the soon to be released Kindle Touch. Amazon has made a very smart decision in making the price of unsubscribing the same as the price difference between the subsidized and non-subsidized models. Consumers can buy the Kindle with ads and see if they are bothered by them. If the ads are too much the consumer just pays the different to turn their device into the model sans ads. Both the option and the pricing are brilliant.
Do you have a Kindle with Special Offers? Do the ads bug you? How do you feel about Amazon giving customers the option to remove those ads on the newest hardware revision? I was personally thinking of investing in the $79 Kindle but wasn't sure if the ads would bother me. Now I don't even have to worry about it because I can always remove them. This is taking away my willpower to avoid a low cost e-reader.
