Amazon released a new Kindle last week, and it seems to have gone largely unnoticed. New Kindles getting released used to be a pretty big deal, but nobody seems to care about the new Kindle Scribe without a frontlight.
The Kindle brand alone used to carry enough weight to get people’s attention, and there was a time when Amazon had trouble keeping new Kindles in stock after they got released. But now the Kindle Scribe without a frontlight has come along and it’s currently ranked the #27 on Amazon’s best-selling Kindles list. That’s current best selling Kindles, not an all-time list.
On the product page for the new Kindle Scribe without a light, it says they’ve only sold 50+ during the past month. Who knows if that’s counting pre-orders or not, but even if it’s only counting one week, based on Amazon’s own sales system they’ve sold less than 100 Kindle Scribes without a frontlight since it was released.
Think about that for a moment. Given Amazon’s reach and the long history and popularity of Kindles, that number is shockingly low for a new Kindle release.
The frontlit Kindle Scribe isn’t exactly selling well either. The 32GB version currently sits at 500+ units sold during the past month, and the 64GB version is at 400+.
The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is the more popular model. It’s currently at #8 on the Kindle best sellers list. Both 64GB versions are at 1k+ sold during the past month, and the 32GB version is at 500+.
At the current pace, if pre-orders weren’t counted, the Scribe without a frontlight will hit 200+ after a month, maybe 300+. They could sell a bunch more if the put it on sale for Prime Day, but I don’t think they will.
At this point I think frontlights are so ingrained into Kindles and ereaders and eNotes in general, most people would have a hard time giving that up.
There are some advantages to not having a frontlight. The E Ink screen can appear clearer and the text darker without the light layer (but flush layers and added textures can minimize the benefit), and the ink is closer to the stylus tip when writing notes and drawing, giving it a more immediate feel.
The funny thing is if Amazon released a mini Kindle without a frontlight, similar to the Xteink X4, I bet a bunch of people would be into it. The folks at Amazon have lost touch with what people actually want. A $429 Kindle Scribe without a frontlight isn’t it. Maybe someday it’ll end up on the island of misfit Kindles.
It would be a great help for potential buyers of the Kindle Scribe without a frontlight, if there were any useful reviews of the device, but I haven’t found any. I would be interested in knowing how it compares not only to the Kindle Scribe with a frontlight, but also to the new reMarkable Paper Pure.
I have the 1st Gen scribe, but used it for awhile only for journaling. I’m not comfortable using that size for reading. I worked in a large public library for 34 years, and I moved into smaller hard-copy books. They were easier to carry around and easier to hold. When e-readers came out, I bought first a NOOK, and then a Kindle. Unless it’s a non-fiction title I want to mark up, I no longer read hard copy books. The Scribe is the large “hard-copy” version of an eReader, and the size is too awkward to use comfortably for the hours-at-a-time reading I do.
If I were to get a Scribe, I would use it in dual-column landscape mode when using it as an eReader, as portrait mode is too large for my tastes. What I want is an 8” eReader, but nothing compelling is available.
I have the 1st gen Scribe and I use it with the light on. I can’t imagine using it without a light. I agree that it doesn’t seem very practical to have a device without a light.
I have no desire for any eReader without a front light, but I do wonder if those who have expressed a desire for an eReader without a front light are such a small amount of people.
I do agree that a basic 6″ Kindle might sell at least somewhat better, or maybe a truly bare bones new model, like a 4″ screen, no front light, no warm light, no Audible support, etc.
I would like to see a video review, especially side by side with one of the newer Scribe models. So I can see for myself the difference in text quality between a front light and no light.
A front light is non-negotiable for me – especially at that price point. I rarely if ever read during the day (since I sleep during the day), and even more rarely outside in the sun. I gather that in such an environment you can get away without a front light, but since that’s not how I read, I need the light.
It honestly feels just like an upsell device. With this they can say that the new Scribe starts at X dollars. Then when they have your interest, they will show you that with just this much more you can have a better device without any compromise.
And just like that they get people used to the higher price of the frontlit Scribe and some even thinking what a good deal it was. Give it a year or two, they will cancel the Scribe without frontlight and just keep the frontlit Scribe much more expensive then it used to be.
It’s actually a very valid way to do this. Remember when Apple introduced iPhone X. The price went for the first time from $749 to $999. For that price you got what would have been a regular upgrade before that. And a very mediocre version without anything new or exciting stayed for the $749.
Then they basically got people used to “actual” flagship iPhones starting at $999.