Kindle DX delisted by Amazon

Amazon has begun rolling out its latest Kindle e-readers in the UK and other international markets, but it seems the large-screen Kindle DX will no longer be part of the line-up, either in the US or abroad.

Beginning on Monday, the online retailer's Kindle e-reader family now includes only the bargain-basement, ad-subsidized $69 Kindle model, the Kindle Keyboard 3G, and the newest Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Paperwhite 3G models. The Kindle DX is no longer advertised.

This hardly comes as a surprise. The Kindle DX, with its large, 9.7-inch e-ink screen, was a favorite of students and others who wanted to view documents featuring large, complex graphics and diagrams, but it was never a brisk seller.

Given the current proliferation of low-cost tablets with full-color, high-resolution screens – including Amazon's own Kindle Fire line – it also wasn't much of a bargain. The original DX debuted in 2009 for $489. Amazon lowered the price to $379 after a 2010 hardware refresh, but that's still $80 more than what an 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD goes for today.

Last week, Amazon quietly lowered the price of the DX to $299 – the same as the aforementioned Kindle Fire HD – in an apparent attempt to clear out its remaining stock.

As of Monday, the Kindle DX was no longer listed as being available direct from Amazon, although used models could be had from independent sellers in the online retailer's marketplace for $230 and up. Plenty of units were also available through online auction site eBay.

Amazon did not respond to El Reg's request for comment on the matter, and so far it has made no statement to suggest that a replacement for the large-screen e-reader is in the works. If the retailer's rumored bid for TI's chip business is any indication, however, Amazon sees its future in fondleslabs, rather than e-ink devices. ®