Let the speculations begin. Amazon.com has suddenly depleted their supply of Kindle Touches down to nearly nothing.
Of the four variations of Kindle Touch models Amazon sells, there is currently only one model in stock, the $139 WiFi Kindle Touch without Special Offers.
The $99 Kindle Touch WiFi model is unavailable and the page says it is “Expected to ship in 1 to 2 weeks”. The ad-supported Kindle Touch 3G is also out of stock with an expected ship date of 2 to 3 weeks. Amazon has the latter in stock certified refurbished for $129, though.
The strangest thing is the $189 Kindle Touch 3G without Special Offers is no longer listed at all anywhere on Amazon’s website.
So the big question remains: is all of this a sign that a new lighted Kindle Touch is about to be announced? Or is it simply a supply shortage?
The fact that the expected ship dates of the two ad-supported Kindles differs throws a bit of a twist into the equation. And why has the $189 Kindle Touch seemingly been wiped from existence?
The two different Kindle 4 models are both in stock and shipping right now. So is the Kindle Fire and Kindle DX, and even the older Kindle Keyboard 3G.
Back in May there were rumors that Amazon planned to release a Kindle Touch with a light built into the screen much like the Nook Touch with GlowLight that Barnes and Noble released back in April of this year.
Everyone expects Amazon to release a Kindle with a lighted screen at some point. We just don’t know when its going to happen.
It’s obvious, to me, that they are going to announce new Kindles, and that’s why they are not shipping existing models. I have no doubt they have plenty of stock. They just don’t want to deal with all the returns people would want to make if they bought a new kindle a few days before a new model was announced.
July 31st was the rumor, and I think that is the date to watch.
Excellent catch Nathan! The suspense is building. The Lighted Kindle development team has had plenty of time to come up with a better lighted E Ink screen. I can only imagine that Amazon will want to be able to tag their new device with “the most advanced lighted screen technology available” line. Their version of glow will have to be an improvement on the Nook’s. I remember you said there were a couple of easy fixes for the Nook Glow’s LED exposure, so we will see what they do.
I’m glad they are still carrying the DX and Keyboard 3G, but how about a firmware update Amazon? As things stand now,if my Kindle Keyboard Wifi dies, I will be replacing it with a Keyboard 3G. I just never really liked the color or feel of the new KT. I miss the old Kindle design.
I have been holding off on buying a kindle touch for 2 months now because everyone is saying a new front lit one will come out. My fire is great but the short battery life is annoying…