Amazon is pulling out all the stops in marketing its Kindle, which has been compared unfavorably to the iPad over the last year while also dealing with increasing competition from Barnes & Noble's Nook. New TV ads for the Kindle have been cropping up in recent weeks, and the company stepped up its game Monday when it was announced that customers will be able to purchase the Kindle 3G in AT&T stores nationwide starting Sunday, March 6.
The move comes shortly after Amazon made its Kindle books available on virtually all other media formats, including smartphones, tablets, and PCs. Additionally, in November, the company unrolled a new e-book gift feature, which allows users to buy e-books as gifts and send them to anyone with an email address.
In December, Amazon announced that the Kindle 3G had become the best-selling product in the company's history--while refusing to give any numbers or specifics. Rumors pegged Kindle sales at roughly eight million in 2010, but predictably, Amazon has not confirmed the reports. The company also announced record-breaking sales during the holiday shopping season, with 13.7 million items ordered on Cyber Monday (November 29).
The move should provide an exhilirating new boost to AT&T, which recently lost its exclusive carrier rights to the iPhone when Verizon unveiled its new CDMA-capable iPhone last month. Analyst Christopher King predicted that AT&T will lose six million customers to Verizon now that the rival carrier is offering the iPhone.
"Amazon has without question pioneered the eReader space with Kindle, and it's exciting to not only connect this device through our network, but now offer it in our stores to readers around the country," said Glenn Lurie, president of emerging devices at AT&T, in a prepared statement. "As the first dedicated eReader offered in our stores, we are confident the Kindle will be an attractive addition to our in store connected devices lineup."
The Kindle 3G, which works over Wi-Fi and AT&T's 3G broadband network, is available for $189 and can store up to 3,500 e-books.
Image source: Amazon.com
