Amazon Paperwhite facing shipment delays

This month Amazon first spoke about its refreshed line-up of standalone e-readers called Paperwhite. At that time, Paperwhite shipments were to begin on October 1.  Digitimes now reports that there has been a delay in the shipping of the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, owing to the supply chain of the product. The production capacity is currently lower than needed, because of the shortage in the availability of raw materials and production labour. However, it has been reported that the company is working on the issues, and is optimistic about being in time for the year-end demand.

Shipments of the Paperwhite e-reader, reportedly began in August this year, and are expected to reach its peak in October and November. However, current year shipments have been estimated at only a few million units.

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The new e-reader model, Amazon Kindle Paperback has a black-and-white screen. It promises to offer 25 percent more contrast, CEO Jeff Bezos had said. He added, “the whites are whiter, and the blacks are blacker”. Bezos claims that the device is “perfect in direct sunlight”. 

Unlike its Kindle Fire, Bezos says Whitepaper is perfect in direct sunlight

Bezos added that tablets such as the iPad and the Fire don’t work as well in bright light because they are lit from the back; the light on the Paperwhite is directed down at the display. The device promises eight weeks of battery life, even with the light on.

Amazon unveiled four new Kindle Fire models this month including ones with larger screens. Amazon unveiled the larger Kindle Fire amid expectations of a smaller iPad from Apple. The larger Fires will sport screens measuring 8.6 inches diagonally, compared with 9.7 inches for the iPad. The original Fire had 7-inch screens. That means a device nearly as big as the iPad will sell for at least $100 less. However, the Kindle Fire won’t have as extensive a selection of apps as the iPad. The HD models will have a front-facing camera for video chats; the iPad has one on the rear as well.

Amazon also unveiled a premium Kindle Fire model, with the ability to connect to 4G cellular networks. It will cost $499 and come with 32GB of memory and an 8.9-inch screen. A data plan will cost $50 a year.