It looks like Amazon seriously misjudged how much people are willing to pay for a Kindle Scribe. I was looking at the product page for the older Kindle Scribe that was released in 2024 and was surprised to see it has higher sales numbers than the new Kindle Scribe by a significant margin.
The sales numbers for the new Kindle Scribe (the black and white version, not the Colorsoft) are really low at just 500+ units sold during the past month for both the 32GB and 64GB versions.
Meanwhile, the 16GB version of the 2024 Kindle Scribe has sold 2000+ units during the past month. The 32GB version is only at 100+ units sold and the 64GB version is at 400+, so neither of those are selling well either.
This is the first time I can remember seeing the 16GB version with a higher number than the 64GB version, so it probably all comes down to the price. The 16GB version is only $399, and it was on sale for $250 during Amazon’s Spring Sale.
There’s also the fact that Amazon is still advertising the 2024 Kindle Scribe over the new one on Kindle product pages, which doesn’t make any sense at all. The new Scribe was released four months ago, and yet Amazon still shows the older model at the top of all Kindle product pages instead of the new one. They do show the new Kindle Scribe Colorsoft but not the new BW Scribe.
It’s odd to see an older Kindle selling much better than a new version, especially considering the new Scribe has a number of upgrades and a nicer overall design.
I think it all comes down to the price of the new one being higher than most people are willing to spend on a Kindle. The Kindle Scribe started out as being the most affordable eNote on the market; now it’s one of the most expensive options, and not very many people are buying it.
Price was the deciding factor for me when I bought a 10-inch e-reader: €300 is my limit. The three I own (PocketBook InkPad X, Kindle Scribe 2022 and Kobo Elipsa 2E) were all bought for less than that, taking advantage of special offers. I love that size (I know many people consider it excessive) and would buy some of the others currently available on the market, but I’d rather not pay so much for what they offer. So I think it’s quite reasonable that older models continue to sell better than the current ones, which don’t offer enough additional incentives.
I waited until a sale that nearly halved the price of a 16 GB Scribe (2024) to make the purchase more acceptable. I love it, more then I thought I would, but I don’t see a need to upgrade, especially at those prices.
If I could find a decent CBR to PDF converter, then maybe I would consider getting a Scribe Colorsoft but even then, I would prefer bringing the price down to under $500. That’ll probably never happen.
Well, it comes down to price and functionality, right? The previous gen Scribe is really nice reading experience, and has a fairly smooth note-taking function. What does the new Scribe really add to that for a couple of hundred dollars for most people? Some new colors? It doesn’t appeal to the general/basic end of the spectrum because they’re using the Scribe more as a really big e-reader, and really don’t need the extra bells and whistles for a couple of hundred extra dollars. It doesn’t appeal to the niche end of the spectrum because you still can’t use custom fonts, change margins, page turn buttons.
What all Kindles could really use is alternative firmware, like the recent post that mentioned CrossPoint Reader for the Xteink X4.
I don’t doubt that price is a big factor in the low sales of the New Scribe. However, that they don’t appear to be available in stores is hurting sales too. I’ve been in a few Best Buys in the last couple of months, and have yet to see a New Scribe on display.
Still waiting for Amazon to sell the Scribe in Mexico.
Scribe has added the ability to add geometric shapes! Lines, squares, circle.
Yeah, even my 2022 model has that now too. More mystery features appearing out nowhere!