Sunday is going to be an interesting day for internet giant Amazon.com and retail giant Target. For Amazon it’s an admission that sometimes consumers really do want to touch and feel a product before making a decision and for Target it’s the chance to market a product that has until now only been available from a web retailer, the Amazon Kindle. Personally, this seems like a win-win to me, even if it goes against everything Amazon stands for.

Unfortunately for most Americans, Sunday won’t be the day that they can run out to Target and grab their Kindle as the initial launch (in store and online at target.com) will be limited to Target’s Minneapolis store and 102 stores scattered throughout South Florida. Why Florida, I’m not sure, but it would seem like there are areas more likely to buy high-technology products. Current pricing on the Kindle will remain competitive with Amazon at $259.

As this is a purpose built device – reading books, magazines, newspapers, etc. – I believe that ultimately this represents a much better opportunity for Amazon than it does for Target.  What was once something that had to be thought through and ordered will quickly become something that for many could be considered an impulse by.  After all, why buy three hardbacks for $70 when you could buy those same three books on Kindle for $30?  Sure, fuzzy math, but over the life of the product it’s a good deal for Amazon and a good deal for the consumer.

Unfortunately, as is so often the case, there might well be a loser in this story, too, and at this point that sounds like Sony might be the biggest loser here. Why Sony, you may be wondering? Well, if you haven’t already noticed, Target has been selling the Sony Reader ebook for some time now and some might say that the Sony product offers less functionality at a sometimes more significant price. Will Target be phasing out Sony from their offerings?

~geek