Amazon UK downplays Kindle Christmas
E-Book may come here next year
If you ask for an e-book this Christmas, don’t be disappointed if you get a paperback instead. Because it seems that Amazon is unlikely to launch its Kindle over here this year.
The online retail giant’s UK managing director, Brian McBride, recently told trade publication The Bookseller that the e-book reader is more likely to launch into Europe next year.
Although Kindle’s been available in the US since November 2007, McBride hinted that the machine’s European launch has been delayed by the number of wireless operators throughout Europe.
“If you buy a Kindle in the UK and want to read it on the beach on holiday in Spain, unless we have signed deals in Spain it's not going to work on that beach,” McBride said.
By contrast, Kindle only works over a service called Whispernet in the US, which uses the EvDO 3G service provided by network operator Sprint.
Amazon may not be in a hurry to launch Kindle over here in any case, because McBride added that Kindle’s European launch will help Amazon build “long-term business growth routes in the UK”.
Several manufacturers have already launched e-books in the UK, including Sony, which recently released the PRS-505 over here.
COMMENTS
The Sony...
...is readily available from Sony Centres and online.
Dumb quote
Kindle will work just fine on the beach, it has 180Mb of online storage and has an SD card. You just won't be able to get the downloads over EVDO.
Curious
You mention the Sony alternative, so why say :
"If you ask for an e-book this Christmas, don’t be disappointed if you get a paperback instead. Because it seems that Amazon is unlikely to launch its Kindle over here this year."
Why not get the Sony for Christmas ? Or do you think Amazon have an exclusive contract with the UK public for Christmas presents?
I personally don't want to "surf" for content all the time, I'd be content to download before I go.
full euro coverage?
“If you buy a Kindle in the UK and want to read it on the beach on holiday in Spain, unless we have signed deals in Spain it's not going to work on that beach,”
So the Euro Kindle isn't going to have storage??? what a crap reason to delay. When I'm away i don't expect it to magically work everywhere.
Disappointed
"If you ask for an e-book this Christmas, don’t be disappointed if you get a paperback instead."
I'd be extremely disappointed if I did get an e-book, they're one of the more pointless inventions of recent years. Why would I want to carry around yet another bulky piece of electronic gadgetry, when I could just use the smartphone that's in my pocket anyway? Sure, the display ain't quite so purdy, but I can live with that if it saves me carrying a man-bag around with me everywhere I go.
