Technology Review: Amazon CEO hopes new Kindles stoke sales
Jeff Bezos isn’t just confident you’ll want a Kindle e-book reader. The CEO of Amazon.com is bracing for a future in which you’ll also want ones for your kid heading to college, your spouse in a book club and perhaps even Grandpa.
And despite increased competition from Apple Inc.’s flashy iPad and other e-readers, that future could be coming soon — as early as August, actually, when online retailer Amazon.com Inc. releases two new Kindle models. With both versions costing less than $200, and one not far above the $99 psychological tipping point for gadget-buying, Bezos expects people to buy multiple devices for their households.
If he’s right, the new Kindles could help cement the company’s status as the reigning e-reader and e-book champ, even in the face of an ever-growing field of challengers. Sitting at the head of a conference-room table at Amazon’s new headquarters on a late July afternoon, Bezos flips over a skinny, dark gray device. It’s the upcoming Kindle, and he’s excited to show it off.
