Amazon Kindle for South Africa
Amazon today announced that it would be releasing its digital reader, the Kindle 2, to over one hundred countries globally later this month.
The international version, which is physically identical to that which has been available in the USA since February, will offer wireless 3G connectivity which will enable users to download books and documents online.
Until now Kindle users have only enjoyed 3G support in the USA through Amazon’s wireless Sprint service. South African users have been restricted to purchasing books online and loading them onto the device via a mini USB port.
Amazon will now offer 3G connectivity on all Kindles through AT&T and its international roaming partners. It has also been confirmed that South Africa will be one of the supported countries.
Details regarding which network will support this and the costs associated with it have not yet been revealed. It has however been confirmed that Vodacom is an international partner to AT&T in terms of South Africans travelling abroad. As a result Vodacom appears to be a viable South African partner tol carry the Kindle service locally.
MTN was not available for comment at the time of publication.
Pricing
The devices are currently available for pre-order at Amazon and will be shipped on the 19th of October. Although the retail price is listed as $279 (R2070) an additional surcharge which includes shipping and local import duties will be added before payment.
Justin Drennan of Wantitall, an online retailer known to import the Kindle for local users, has estimated that this additional charge should bring the final cost closer to $320 (R2374). Although this is significantly lower than Wantitall’s current pricing of R3380. Drennan confirmed that their price would drop when more details behind Amazon’s new offering emerge.
Although the Amazon bookstore will be available in 100 different countries all pricing will continue to be reflected in dollar terms. The average price for a newly released or best-selling book is typically $11.99 (R88.90) and South Africa will initially have access to 160 000 titles. This number may increase in the future.
The Kindle’s browser and blog subscription service will not be available locally but users will be able to access Amazon’s international newspaper subscription service for $4.99 (R37) weekly.
Another factor to consider when placing an order is that all Kindles ship with a USA compatible power supply.
Amazon Kindle in SA – comments and views
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