Special Offers Kindle can now have Offers Turned Off (for $30)

The Kindle Basic SO image comes from dvice.com, but that site got the story from Nate Hoffelder's The Digital Reader, where he explored a tip from Mobileread Forum's jswinden.

Having a preference, myself, for a personal reading environment without ads, I've recommended these only for those who really want those Special Offers and, as it turns out, many do. A visit to the forums will show how many either really like the feature or wish they had bought one, for special Amazon sales such as $200 off laptops or $500 off HDTVs or even a $10 gift certificate for $20 worth of Kindle books, and some have asked Amazon to let them have the option to have the special offers (which means ads also) if they want.

    However, a few have decided they'd rather have the Kindle without Special Offers, and Amazon does offer a 30-day full refund policy on their Kindles, which means some have returned a Special Offers model to order a regular Kindle while others have returned a regular one to get a Special Offers model.  Now there is another way, at least with the model Nate bought.  

  Nate found himself annoyed by the ads that he's been seeing with his new $79 Kindle Basic but also discovered that Amazon has added a solution for those who've decided they would prefer the Kindle Basic offers-free.  Under the Manage Your Kindle page, he saw that you can UNsubscribe from the Special Offers on the Kindle Basic by paying the difference in cost between the Kindle Basic SO and the Kindle Basic without SO.

  Amazon explains on that page: "Amazon is able to offer the Kindle at a subsidized price by delivering Special Offers and Sponsored Screenavers. By unsubscribing you will be charged $30 (plus applicable tax)."

  Nate says this works only for K4 although it could be that this is the model he bought so that's the only one it would show in his case, but I don't know.

  Nate dislikes ads so much that he's given up TV, cable, and he watches TV content online, where ads can be blocked.

  melissa, for her part, commenting to his story, says,
"There are no ads while you are reading.  Only the screen savers and a small banner at the bottom of the home screen.  The special offers however have been the real bonus.  We have probably paid for the Kindle with the savings from the offers.  The offers seemed to have slowed down, so maybe that was just a start up idea."

  Nate confirms that the ads aren't shown while reading.

I suspect that this option will show up in future software updates, maybe in both directions.


Kindle Touch 3G   Kindle Touch WiFi   Kindle Basic   (UK: KBasic)   Kindle Fire
Kindle Keybd 3G   (UK: Kindle Keybd 3G)   K3 Special Offers   K3-3G Special Offers   DX

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
-- The Send to Kindle button works well only on Firefox currently.

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Kindle to be available at Walmart. Is ad-supported Kindle a primary focus?

KINDLE 3 AVAILABLE AT 3200+ WALMART STORES STARTING THIS WEEK.

The Editors of The Kindle Daily Post (national or international editions), which is always clickable at the top right-hand corner of the Kindlestore, announced yesterday (all emphases mine) that "...starting this week, Kindle will be available in over 3,200 Walmart stores nationwide.  Most stores will have a Kindle on display so you can check out all the features before you buy.  Walmart stores will be selling both Kindle 3G and Kindle with Special Offers.

Walmart is the latest in a growing list of retailers offering Kindle, including Target, Best Buy, and Staples, among others."

  Note they mention "both" the "Kindle 3G" and "Kindle with Special Offers."
  But they don't mention a third possibility, the Kindle3 WiFi-Only Without Special Offers

  Is it possible there'll be no $139 WiFi-Only model at Walmart?

  That would be of interest insofar as the Non-Ad WiFi-Only Kindle may be getting less production interest.
  Or, it could be that the Kindle Post mention of 'both' Kindles was unintentional on the editors' part, but that'll be interesting to watch.  The latest Youtube video has emphasized the "from $114" price point.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
-- The Send to Kindle button works well only on Firefox currently.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!

More Amazon quotes on $114 KindleSO. Controversial analyst thoughts.

MORE QUOTES FROM AMAZON REPS AND OTHERS
Read the first article for the earlier Amazon quotes including their response on the hope for a "free Kindle."

There are a few interesting quotes not mentioned yet that will answer a couple of questions and also an article that actually encourages Amazon to put ads into e-books.

Another columnist thinks this Kindle model is "the future of gadgets."
The controversial columns do invite comments and feedback at their linked pages.

PC Magazine's Don Costa has a few quotes in his story:

' Current Kindle users will not be able to upgrade or participate [in] the offers program, although Kindle representatives did not rule this out in the future.  "I wouldn't want to speculate on future implementations," said Grandinetti.
. . .
Screen saver ads could change and update over time, though the frequency of those changes will, Grandinetti added, depend on customer feedback.  The program is launching with relatively few advertising partners because, up until now, the Special Offer program was a confidential project within Amazon.
. . .
Since Special Offers isn't available with any other Kindle model, those initial ads may be seen by relatively few consumers.  Amazon execs, however aren't concerned. Grandinetti said Amazon obviously does its best to predict scale and is "confident advertisers will be able to reach a large group of people this way."
. . .
"Our goal is to make the device as available as possible," Grandinetti says. "I think $25 is a lot of money these days." '

Here's one from CNet's David Carnoy

' "If we do a great job with the special offers--and that's our intention--people are going to feel pretty excited about the option and having access to it," Grandinetti says. '

Business Insider's Dan Frommer:

' Grandinetti also tells us that the company is not trying to jam ads in e-books, at least not in the forseeable future.

"We're pretty skeptical" that people would want that, he says.  Like a paper book, the idea behind the Kindle is for it to "disappear" while you're reading.  So a jarring ad that interrupts that experience isn't something that Amazon is looking to do, he says. '

ANALYSTS - ARE THEY IN TOUCH WITH MANY DEDICATED E-READER OWNERS' THOUGHTS?
From my read of various forums, the reception is mixed, with some looking forward to it and some not, to put it gently.

Edward C. Baig
USATODAY's Edward C. Baig writes that

' [Forrester analyst James McQuivey] doubts there will be many customers put off by the new model. “Who is going to object to buying a cheaper Kindle just because the screensaver has a Buick ad,” he asks? '

Jared Newman calls for ad-supported e-books
Macworld's Jared Newman feels that "Ad-supported e-books are where it’s really at."

But Amazon doesn't agree, though they did get a patent for ads in e-books a couple of years ago (in case publishers want it, I suppose), but many authors would not like it either. 

' Amazon has no plans to stuff ads inside e-books, says Amazon vice president of Kindle content Russ Grandinetti.  Grandinetti told Business Insider that the company is “pretty skeptical” that ad-supported e-books are something people would want. '

Newman thinks that's "too bad" and adds, "If e-books could be had for cheap—or even free—in exchange for the occasional ad, I’d download them by the dozen."

He gives many reasons why he feels this would work better, and you can read them at the article.

I read a posts from a few forums last night that said that if the choice was between a $7.99 e-book with ads and a $12.99 e-book, they'd chose the former ... in other words, the idea here is that the reader gets a choice, but I do think the danger is that it would then eventually cost more to get an ad-free book than it does now.  At any rate, a provocative column by Newman.

Dan Frommer
Business Insider's Dan Frommer makes a spirited defense of the ad-supported model, calling it "the Future of Gadgets." Anyone interested should follow the link to read the whole thing there.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

> Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
-- The Send to Kindle button works well only on Firefox currently.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!