Amazon gets closer to new e-reader

Amazon today sparked a mystery by running out of stock of the six-inch Kindle. In the first shortage since 2009, the reader is not only listed as unavailable but doesn't have an estimated in-stock date. Shoppers are told only that they will be e-mailed when Amazon learns more.

The sellout could be triggered by the price drop to $189. Kindle device sales saw a spike after the cut, which itself was a response to a Nook 3G price drop.

A stockout is nonetheless curiously timed as the next-generation Kindle is widely rumored to be shipping in August. While not all information is available, the device is poised to be a subtler update with the addition of Wi-Fi on one model and a thinner design with high contrast E Ink.

Amazon has repeatedly refused to say how many Kindles it has shipped, but it's believed the iPad has either caught up or is close in lifetime shipments after just four months versus Amazon's 2.5 years. Initial high prices for the Kindle were a factor in its slow adoption, but the iPad has been helped by its much more general purpose nature and Apple's much stronger footprints in ads and at retail. Kindle buyers couldn't try the device until a deal with Target just this June. [via SlashGear]

By Electronista Staff