What's the average age of Kindle owners?
Amazon's marketing to a more youthful audience but the Kindle is proving appealing to seniors.
(Credit: Amazon)In April of last year, a user on Amazon.com's forums opened a discussion thread entitled, Average Kindle Owner's Age.
Amazon, of course, doesn't provide any sales numbers or data detailing who's buying Kindles, but it's an interesting question to ask on the day of the Kindle 2's launch (according to reports, the device has already started shipping).
Apparently, a lot of senior folks bought the Kindle--and now the Kindle 2--partially because the digital reader is easier to handle than regular books for arthritis sufferers. It also helps that you can increase the font size, if you have trouble viewing small print in books.
When more textbooks arrive in Kindle format, and colleges require students to buy a Kindle 2 (at a discounted rate, hopefully), we might start seeing the age of owners skew younger. But combine the benefits for seniors with the device's relatively high price tag of close to $400 bucks (with cover), and I'm guessing that the average age for owners comes in around 45--even if Amazon is trying to reach a younger demographic with its new marketing campaign (see picture).
Anybody else care to guess? Or reveal your age, if you are a Kindle owner.
Editor's note: The link to the Amazon thread was initially broken. It's now fixed.
Hunkered down in New York City, Executive Editor David Carnoy covers the gamut of gadgets and writes his Fully Equipped column, which carries the tag line "The electronics you lust for." He's also the author of "Knife Music," a novel. E-mail David. Follow David on Twitter. 
Oh and PS. the Amazon "Average Kindle Owner's Age" link is broken. Might be the extra 'http' in the link.
P.S. to the younger generations: I do not do facebook or twitter. Having lived through the '50s, I know that keeping your anonymity is the best defense against Government oppression. Like tattoos, there may come a time when you wished you had realized how long you would live.
I am not saying one way is better than the other, and obviously there will be exceptions to the above. I know many people who are my age and older who are totally into social-networking.
- by lebonroute February 24, 2009 1:09 PM PST
- Can't let this question pass by -- (average age of Kindle users).
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (37 Comments)I am 66. Spouse is 77. I want the Kindle, which is "in the mail" primarily for reading the text of dense technical .pdf files. Spouse will read fiction, photography-related material, higher-level gardening and landscaping info.
We are definitely 'older' but not complete idiots. Three computers, two printers, digital cameras, wireless headphones, streaming movie(s) from Netflix. Yes, we can still figure out how to use all of our remote controls.
Age range may be skewed upward considerably in the current financial times in favor of those who still have some money left.