Rumors were wrong – no new Kindle this year

It turns out the rumors about a new, redesigned Kindle was wrong. Craig Berman, Amazon.com’s chief spokesperson, told the New York Times: “One thing I can tell you for sure is that there will be no new version of the Kindle this year. A new version is possible sometime next year at the earliest.”

So if you were hoping for a new Kindle with no page delays and a sleeker design, or snatching up a cheaper earlier version, then you’re out of luck–at least for now.

However, Amazon currently has a promotion where, if you sign up for a Chase/Amazon.com credit card, you can get $100 off the price of a Kindle, bringing the price down from $359 to $259. That’s quite a jump, and may make it more affordable for some readers.* Though whether you want another credit card or not is up to you.

*Canadians should remember that it’s a huge hassle to purchase ebooks through the Kindle; you need to have a valid US address to do so, and whispernet won’t be available to you.

Thanks to Gizmodo for the info.

August 28th, 2008