The day after you bought that Kindle 2 last week, Jeff Bezos was on a stage announcing a whole new Kindle: the DX, with a larger screen, support for PDFs and a free pony with every purchase. (The screen isn’t the only thing that’s larger – have a look at the price tag.)
The size increase will go over well with people who need a big canvas – students using the Kindle to read textbooks are a big target audience for the DX. But I can’t help but wonder if the newest Kindle is heading in the wrong direction. Portability, after all, is one of the device’s most dazzling charms; Kindles 1 and 2 are about the size of a trade paperback, and smaller than most hardcovers.
Here, then, is my prediction: the next Kindle is going to go in the opposite direction, and shrink. In fact, it will truly differentiate itself in the e-book reader market… by getting rid of the display altogether. The Kindle Shuffle should be available in time for Christmas.
