Amazon declares war on Apple in e-reader market
AMAZON has come out all guns blazing in its war against Apple’s all conquering iPad.
The Kindle reader producer yesterday slashed the price for its hand-help ebook reader in the US from $259 (£172) to $189 and reductions are expected to reach the UK soon.
Amazon is reeling from news that Apple’s new device, which has shifted more than 3m units since its launch less than three months ago, has already cornered 22 per cent of the lucrative ebook market.
Apple customers have downloaded more than 5m ebooks from its store and it looks set to continue to muscle out its competition.
Now Amazon is scrabbling to undercut Apple’s hefty asking price, starting at £429 in the UK.
Its chief executive Jeff Bezos remains bullish, claiming his product is still the market leader for ebooks, accounting for 80 per cent of downloads last year. Amazon also boasts a far greater library than Apple, although its rival is catching up.
Fellow rival Barnes & Noble has also decided to slash the price of its Nook ereader to $199.