The Amazon Kindle Scribe was launched in 2022 and was launched to compete in opposition to the Exceptional, Supernote, Onyx Boox, Bigme, and different devoted e-notebooks. Amazon has had an uphill battle, since their competitors had a five-year head begin. The Scribes software program was by no means highly effective, though a flurry of firmware updates made it considerably viable. In 2024, Amazon launched a second-generation Scribe, and there wasn’t a lot to get enthusiastic about; the one upgrades had been design, colours, and a brand new pen. The Scribe isn’t promoting very effectively, and I’d not be shocked if it had been discontinued.
One draw back of the Kindle Scribe is that it’s simply as costly as different Kindle e-readers. The Scribe is just not geared toward informal readers however professionals, college students, or individuals who have to take digital notes whereas exterior. The Scribe is double the price of the Kindle Colorsoft, and when you spend over $400 on an e-notebook, a Exceptional offers higher worth on the identical value. Boox and Bigme even have higher pricing, along with promoting e-notes with completely different display sizes, and likewise run Google Android and have full entry to the Play Retailer.
Let’s have a look at how dangerous it’s for the Scribe proper now. Up to now month, the Kindle Paperwhite, Paperwhite Signature Version, Kindle Colorsoft, and base Kindle offered over 10,000 items in america. Every e-reader prices between $100 and $229, whereas the Kindle Scribe solely offered 1,000 items in the identical interval.
The UK is Amazon’s second-largest marketplace for Kindle gross sales. The bottom Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite offered 5,000 items prior to now month. The Paperwhite Signature Version offered 2,000 items, whereas the Colorosft offered 500. The Kindle Scribe offered lower than 100 items, whereas the unique Scribe offered 200.
In the meantime, the Kindle Colorsoft is unavailable in Canada, and costs are typically excessive. The Kindle offered 2,000 items prior to now month, the Kindle Paperwhite offered 5,000, the Paperwhite Signature Version offered 1,000, and the Kindle Scribe offered 100.
The Scribe 2024 mannequin has not been promoting effectively, because the unit gross sales prior to now 30 days present. I don’t see a drastic turnaround in month-to-month gross sales in 2025. The one time the Kindle Scribe sells extra items is when it goes on sale for particular occasions, comparable to Mom’s Day, Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. Nevertheless, the opposite Kindles additionally go on sale concurrently and outsell the Scribe significantly.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the previous fifteen years. Newspapers and web sites such because the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Put up and the New York Instances have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
