Seeking to fend off surging rivals iPad and its iBooks app, Amazon’s Kindle will be available for sale at Target retail stores, the first time it will sell its top-selling e-reader at an off-line location.
The move marks a significant step for Kindle by gaining an in-person store option for purchasing the device, something competitors iPad (Apple Stores, Best Buy) and Nook (Barnes & Noble) already have.
The Kindle will carry the same price – $259 – at Target as it does online. Kindle will debut at Target’s flagship store in downtown Minneapolis and 102 South Florida stores, beginning April 25. It will roll out to more stores throughout the year.
For now, the Kindle enjoys an edge on other fronts over the newly-released, but hot-selling iPad. Amazon’s e-reader offers more books and a cheaper price. The iPad starts at $499 for WiFi models.
It also has other advantages highly touted in today’s announcement by Target:
“Kindle fits comfortably in one hand for hours, has an e-ink display that is easy on the eyes even in bright daylight, two weeks of battery life, and 3G wireless with no monthly fees,” the statement said.
Those seeking 3G Internet service on the iPad will pay up to $30 monthly, although you get the full web and email.
“We’re excited to work with (Target) to bring readers around the country a new way to discover and buy Kindle, and with it, wireless access to a massive selection of over 500,000 books,” said Steve Kessel, senior vice president, Amazon Kindle.
Kindle books are also available on iPhones, iPod Touches, PCs, BlackBerrys, Macs, and iPad. But iBooks, the app that offers publications through Apple’s iBookstore, will also be offered on the next operating system for iPhones later in the year.
Welcome to clunky town. Kindles will be in the bargin bin soon.
Awesome – they can display them next to the huge pile of Sony e-readers that no one is buying.