Amazon is launching a slimmed-down Kindle e-reader with a beefed-up collection of books in the UK market. It comes as the book giant predicts that digital reading will go mass market with the majority of books being sold in digital format "in coming years". The e-reader, which has been available on Amazon's US site since 2007, will now also be available on its UK site.
Amazon has given the Kindle a make-over and assures it will be "21% smaller and 15% lighter". It will also have 20% faster page turns and double the storage. A Kindle Wi-Fi version will also be on offer, priced at £109.
The new UK Kindle store will be launched on 27 August with more than 400,000 books on offer. Amazon has been tight-lipped about how many Kindles it has sold although Mr. Kessel told BBC News he was unfazed by the success of the iPad.
"It has had no effect on Kindle sales, which have accelerated," he said. The e-reader is currently sold out on the US site with no indication of when more stock will be available. The more expensive Kindle DX is still available.
Soon after the release of Apple's iPad, Amazon dropped the price of its US version from $259 (£165) to $189 (£121).
Apple has not been so shy about the success of its iPad which, to date, has sold 3.27 million units around the world, the firm says.
NEWS SOURCE: www.bbc.co.uk
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