Those who are considering the purchase of a Kindle e-reader will soon have a lower-priced option available, but Amazon has a grand plan to make up for, and possibly exceed, the lower profit margin they’ll receive.
The company announced Tuesday that they’re releasing a new ad-supported version of the device dubbed Kindle with Special Offers, which is $25 less and has identical technical specifications to the WiFi-only version of their immensely popular Kindle 3.
If you’re an avid reader like myself, you’re probably recoiling at the thought of advertisements invading your sacred literary space, but it’s not quite as bad as it sounds. For now, the ads will be limited to the device’s screen savers and the bottom of the home page.
"It was very important that we didn't interfere with the reading experience," said Jay Marine, Amazon’s director of product management for the Kindle. "We think customers are going to love it."
Associated Press technology reporter Rachel Metz got a sneak preview of the ad-supported e-reader.
“In a demo of the device, a screen saver showed a deal where customers would pay $10 for a $20 gift card to Amazon,” Metz wrote. “If a user is interested in that deal, they can click to have details of the offer e-mailed to them. A much smaller ad shown across the bottom of the Kindle's home screen — the screen that shows you the content stored on the e-reader — was less obtrusive, but still clearly an advertisement.”
According to Marine, the ads will change regularly so customers won’t be bored with the same thing over and over. There will also be the ability to select different types of screensavers with a new AdMash app.
Amazon has priced the Special Offers Kindle at $114, and will still offer the standard WiFi version for $139 and 3G for $189. The ad-supported model will begin shipping May 3rd.
A $25 savings isn’t enough incentive for me to allow ads into my reading space. I feel like I’m bombarded continuously with enough marketing already. It will be interesting, however, to see if anyone devises a way to hack the device and remove the ad content.
Would you buy one?
