Amazon Drops Kindle 2 Price

Almost two months ago, Amazon announced the Kindle DX, a large-screen version of the second-generation Kindle 2, with some additional features. Although designed and marketed with a specific demographic in mind, many Kindle 2 owners felt a sense of betrayal as the initial fear was that their less-than-four-month-old device was already becoming obsolete. <P> Emotions soon turned to anger as many came to the realization that the DX was, in their opinion, just a bigger, better adaptation of the beloved e-book reader. Most who were early to adopt the $359 device felt that Amazon had withheld announcing the $489 DX until after the initial launch, fearing many would wait for the larger edition. <P> Now, one month after the DX started shipping, Amazon is poised to alienate those early adopters once more. On Wednesday, the company lowered the price of the popular Kindle 2 by $60 to $299. With recent announcements about competing products, the sudden move could be seen as a preemptive strike to gain more market share while the potential is still there. The ailing economy also makes the timing appropriate. <P> While such reasoning is understandable, the decision is bound to anger many who helped make the device as popular. It can easily be seen as a slap in the face to those who bought the Kindle 2 prelaunch and have helped support and promote it since its release. <P> It was only a matter of time before Amazon made this move, but it will be interesting to see what kind of reaction it receives from customers. Join our community and let us know how you feel about the subject at community.crn.com.