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Kindle Finally Ready For Global Distribution

Posted by Soulskill on from the not-enough-people-in-the-us-read-books dept.

geirnord writes "Previously a US-only device, the Amazon Kindle 2 is now finally available in an international edition. The new device is identical to the Kindle 2, with the exception of Edge and 3G support. That means Whispernet-like functionality over most of the world." Reader pasm notes a report at The Guardian which points out higher ebook prices for international Kindle users. "When asked by the Guardian precisely how much downloads would cost, an Amazon.co.uk spokesman revealed that foreign customers — including those in Britain — would be paying $13.99 (£8.75) per book instead of the American price of $9.99 (£6.25). That amounts to a 40% premium for the same title." The spokesman said the higher prices reflected higher operating costs and VAT rates.

8 of 145 comments (clear)

  1. Except Canada... by robbrit · · Score: 2, Informative

    To the other Canadians out there: we won't be getting it, according to the Globe and Mail:
    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/why-you-cant-get-the-kindle-in-canada/article1316081/

    I guess I'll have to get it shipped in from Burundi or Sri Lanka instead.

  2. Not in Canada by Tridus · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's available all over the world, but not in Canada.

    According to the Globe and Mail, that is because until next month, there is only one network in Canada capable of carrying it (Rogers). In November, Bell and Telus will also be capable of carrying it.

    We'll see.

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/telecom-competition-behind-kindle-delay/article1317633/

    --
    -- "So they told me that using the download page to download something was not something they anticipated." - Bill Gates
    1. Re:Not in Canada by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      It's available all over the world, but not in Canada.

      True.

      According to the Globe and Mail, that is because until next month, there is only one network in Canada capable of carrying it (Rogers). In November, Bell and Telus will also be capable of carrying it.

      Typical crappy reporting by the Globe and Mail. It is true that the new "global" kindle is a gsm device, and there is only one gsm operator in Canada (rogers).

      BUT, the US Kindle is NOT A GSM DEVICE. The US Kindle is a CDMA device. There are two CDMA operators in Canada, Bell and Telus.

      Amazon could easily bring the CDMA version to Canada.

      Not only does Canuckistan suffer from the crappiest wireless service in the OECD, and pay the highest prices for wireless service in the OECD, we also have some of the crappiest reporting about wireless service.

      For non-Canadian wondering why this is the case, Canadian law for decades has said that only Canadian companies may operate a telecom network, so big foreign operators like Vodaphone & T-Mobile aren't allowed in.

      And the previous Liberal government of Canada allowed 2 of the large players to purchase their rivals, leaving Canadians with 3 cell phone carriers who don't compete very much with each other. Why should they?

  3. VAT on Books in Europe Trending Towards 0%-5% by meehawl · · Score: 4, Informative

    Under the VAT Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006, the suggested EU VAT rate for books (and children's nappies!) is the reduced rate of 5%. Many countries, such as Ireland, the UK, and Poland, for example, have charged zero percent VAT on books for years. Amazon is, as usual, full of it.

    --

    Da Blog
    1. Re:VAT on Books in Europe Trending Towards 0%-5% by Reaperducer · · Score: 3, Informative

      Amazon is, as usual, full of it.

      Is Amazon full of it, or are you jumping to uninformed conclusions?

      The Kindle doesn't read books, it reads e-books, which are considered and taxed as software in many locales.

      --
      -- I'm old enough to have lived through six different meanings of the word "hacker."
    2. Re:VAT on Books in Europe Trending Towards 0%-5% by ThreeGigs · · Score: 2, Informative

      RTFA, please.
      Or, if you're too lazy, I'll post the excerpt here:

      "Providing the wireless download service had proven a sticking point in the company's attempt to launch the Kindle outside America, after the retailer failed to come to an agreement with various mobile phone networks around the world. To push through the launch, the company instead chose to partner with American phone company AT&T, which already has its own international roaming deals around the world - including with British networks O2, Vodafone, Orange and 3.

      The cost of receiving data over these roaming connections is notoriously high, however, with AT&T's ordinary mobile phone customers who use the service outside the United States paying just over a penny for each kilobyte of data they download. That means that an average book download would cost the equivalent of £14.39 if sent to a mobile phone."

      So make cellular data services cheaper in the EU if you want cheaper eBooks. Yeah, cell phone service prices affect the price of reading material... remember that the next time someone asks you "what's that got to do with the price of tea in China?"...

    3. Re:VAT on Books in Europe Trending Towards 0%-5% by EvilIdler · · Score: 2, Informative

      OK, then. Norway has 0% tax on downloadable software and books. The Kindle is still going to have trouble gaining popularity :)

    4. Re:VAT on Books in Europe Trending Towards 0%-5% by cdrguru · · Score: 3, Informative

      Everyone seems to think that the distribution of physical books is somehow expensive and troublesome. It isn't.

      The publisher puts the books into boxes and ships the box full of books (maybe 25 of them) for $10. That works out to be around $0.40 per book, delivered to the store.

      The cost of printing a softcover/paperback book is less than $2. You can have your very own book printed in small quantities for this price. So where does all the money go for a $20 currently popular book?

      You ever think it might go to the publisher that fronted the author money, paid for the editors, marketed the book and promoted it? Gosh, those costs might not change for an eBook at all.

      Guess what? Physical books aren't that expensive to distribute, and eBooks have almost identical costs. Sure on a $20 book you might save $2.50 but only $2.50. Waiting for the $1 currently popular eBook? You will be waiting a long time.