Kindle News: Clues that new e-Ink Kindles MAY be coming?

A set of observations on Kindle product page wording from commenter Blackbeard Blackbeard sent me a few days ago a couple of observations that he's given me permission to quote:

  1.  ' Right now the Kindle Touch is "Expected to ship in 1 to 2 weeks"
          [AB Note: Today, it's showing "Expected to ship in 4 to 7 days."

  2.  the Kindle Touch 3g is "Currently unavailable, we don't know when or if this item will be back in stock."

  This is highly unusual, and it looks like they've drawn down stock prior to a new release. Keep a lookout!'

Yes, considering that Jeff Bezos said quite a lot, in his interview last week with Len Edgerly [transcript], about the attractions of the 3G models of the Kindle (and added that people who own these seem to read the most, according to their stats), this language about not knowing When or If the Kindle Touch 3G will be back in stock is VERY odd.

  The "currently unavailable" detail given is one of the pre-set reasons when an item is not in stock and it could have been just a programming error that it was showing up that way, but it still is showing that way today, 3 days later.

  Amazon is notorious for not being willing to say anything about a forthcoming model.   So, what's the story here?

  I wouldn't want to say something that could hurt Amazon sales while being untrue, but that statement on their product page is just glaring.

  The WiFi version that is expected be shipped in 4-7 days suggests at least limited supplies with re-ordering of another batch but that would also seem to be very conservative ordering of a high-volume item.

CNet's David Carnoy adds another indication
  In the meantime, CNet's David Carnoy, who has in the past received early word from Amazon though not currently, points out today that Amazon is offering Basic Kindles (the non-touch/no-keyboard model) for $47 (a 40% discount) to Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card holders, although they're limited to one promo code per customer and the offer comes with the disclaimer that limited quantities are available.
  Here's the Amazon page showing the offer.

When we remember the earlier rumor from DigiTimes that an announcement was planned around July 31, and this did not happen, it would seem an obscured announcement :-).

Carnoy writes, cautiously, that the $47 price for Basic Kindles, even if only for Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card holders, "would seem to indicate that Amazon is starting to clear stock to make room for new models."

Are thse unfounded rumors in this case? Or found indicators? :-)


(Bear in mind that if one has bought a Kindle, Amazon has a 30-day full refund period if not wanting it for any reason.)

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US: Kindle Fire  7" tablet - $199 Kindle NoTouch ("Kindle") - $79/$109 Kindle Touch, WiFi - $99/$139 Kindle Touch, 3G/WiFi - $149/$189 Kindle Keybd 3G - $189, Free, slow web Kindle DX - $379, Free, slow web

UK: Kindle Basic, NoTouch - £89 Kindle Touch WiFi, UK - £109 Kindle Touch 3G/WiFi, UK - £169 Kindle Keyboard 3G, UK - £149   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB

OTHER International Kindle NoTouch Basic - $109 Kindle Touch WiFi - $139 Kindle Touch 3G/WiFi - $189 Kindle Keybd 3G - $189   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB

  For daily free ebooks, check the following links:

Temporarily-free books - Non-classics USA: by:    Publication Date      Bestselling   High-ratings UK: PubDate   Popular The Kindle Daily Deal What is 3G? and "WiFi"?       Battery Care Highly-rated under $1,  Newest: $1-$2, $2-$3

Most Popular Free K-Books U.S. & Int'l (NOT UK):    Top 100 free UK-Only:    Top 100 free USEFUL for your Kindle Keyboard(U.S. only, currently):   99c Notepad 1.1,   99c Calculator,   99c Calendar,   99c Converter

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