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Attention all bookworms: The next top-shelf Amazon Kindle e-reader is about to arrive.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Monday revealed in a tweet that the new Kindle is “almost ready,” with details coming next week.
Likely to coincide with Bezos’ tweet, the whole current line of Kindle devices went on sale on Amazon.com for the company’s Prime membership customers, with the price for the current top-tier Voyage dropping to $150 from $200.
Heads up readers – all-new, top of the line Kindle almost ready. 8th generation. Details next week.
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) April 4, 2016
The e-reader market has been on the decline since around 2011, with more customers turning to more versatile tablets instead. However, the Kindle seems to remain something near and dear to both Amazon and its CEO, since it’s the first electronic device Amazon launched and it’s directly connected to Amazon’s founding business of selling books.
Additionally, the Kindle line seems to keep selling for Amazon. Among the company’s list of top-selling electronics on its website, the mid-tier Kindle Paperwhite was listed as the sixth-biggest product, as of Monday afternoon. The low-end Kindle was No. 26 and current top-tier Kindle Voyage was No. 30.
The Voyage first came out in 2014 and offered an upgrade from the Paperwhite by providing a slimmer design, more storage and sharper screen resolution. Amazon tends to overhaul a Kindle design every two years, so Bezos’ announcement fits into that general timeline.
Since the Kindle first came out in 2007, Amazon has added to its line of electronics with the Fire TV stick, Echo smart speaker and Fire tablets, which are all top-sellers on Amazon’s site. The company’s Fire Phone, though, was a flop and quickly discontinued.
Monday’s tweet also marks Bezos’ increased interest in Twitter. He joined the micro-blogging site in 2008, but hadn’t tweeted anything until last November. He’s since tweeted mostly about his private space-flight company, Blue Origin, but did take one dig at Republican presidential candidate and reality star Donald Trump.
Kindle Voyage product photos
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