Amazon Needs an iPad Strategy

Posted on Mar 12 by Kelly Johnson

With the iPad’s official coming out (or soon to be coming) party today, I began wondering if the reigning eReader pageant winner, the Amazon Kindle DX, was getting nervous. Sure, you can read books and magazines on the Kindle, but the iPad does all that and more. It looks and acts more like a laptop. It’s like that sibling rivalry between the Cylons, Centurions versus humanoid.

Curious, I decided to sit down with Kindle for a little tête-à-tête. What follows is a transcript of that meeting. We had tea, crumpets, those little sandwiches with no crust, you really shoulda been there.

Me: So, today’s the big day, huh?

Kindle: No dear, the first day of spring is March 20.

Me: [Nervous laughter] Ah, no. I meant today is the first day you can order the iPad.

[30 seconds of uncomfortable silence]

Me: Sooooooooo…I was wondering…do you have any thoughts on that?

Kindle: None.

Me: Would you care to elaborate?

Kindle: No.

Kindle is a biatch.

Okay, I didn’t really talk to Kindle, or anyone at Amazon for that matter. But considering Amazon’s real response to the iPad – an improved Kindle browser – I thought it could use some help. The truth is, the iPad isn’t necessarily a Kindle killer. There are a few things Amazon can do to protect and expand its consumer base.

• Portray the iPad as a jack of all trades, master of none. What Kindle does, Kindle does well.
• Work with book publishers to ensure Kindle-only releases. Granted, given the current state of the publishing industry, desperate that is, this may not work too well. Still, delaying a well-known author’s new release to iPad by just a day or two could make a difference.
• Lower the price. iPad is a better value. There’s no denying that. But if the Kindle DX were in the $250-300 range, consumers who want “just” an eReader may forgo the higher-priced iPad.


Whatever Amazon decides to do, one thing is clear, they need to do it soon. The first Kindle was released in 2007. In beauty queen years, that’s a lifetime. In techno cool time, light years.

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