by Salvador Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times –
LOS ANGELES — A new deal Friday on the Kindle DX has sparked speculation that Amazon could launch new Kindle devices next week, in time for the back-to-school shopping season.
For its Deal of the Day, Amazon listed many of its own products, all of which are related to its Kindle brand. Most notably, the Seattle retailer listed its 9.7-inch Kindle DX at $110 off its regular price.
All in all, though, Amazon listed 16 deals Friday that are related to Kindle, which has led Gizmodo to speculate that it’s clearing house in preparation for the launch of new Kindles next week.
Adding to the speculation, Amazon also began listing the Kindle Touch 3G as unavailable, and last week, the company had a 40 percent-off sale on some Kindles and Kindle accessories for its Amazon Visa card holders.
The tech blog argues that not only is this the kind of behavior companies do when they’re getting ready to launch new products (which even Apple has also begun doing with the iPhone), but this is exactly what Amazon has done before.
Gizmodo said the retailer did this two years ago when it suddenly listed the Kindle 2 as sold out one day and began selling the Kindle 3 later that same day.
Two other important reasons leave Gizmodo thinking Amazon could launch new Kindles, including a 10-inch Kindle Fire that would compete with the iPad.
The next iPhone is expected to be unveiled one month from now, which for the most part will keep the world from caring about any other tech gadgets for a couple of weeks before and after the announcement.
But even more important, some of the most important Kindle users are students, and for many of them, August and September are when they head back to school. Waiting any longer will result in Amazon missing out for a year on a crucial part of its Kindle base, Gizmodo argues.
