If you have a laptop, I really don't see the point of buying a $359 Kindle unless Amazon lowers the price even more. And well, that may be something the company will have to do if it plans to sell a collegiate version of the Kindle, which according to Seattle PI is in the works.

Tim Bueneman, an analyst from McAdams Wright Ragen, says Amazon sees a big opportunity to market its product to college students and is already working an several improved versions of the Kindle. The new versions will have an improved interface and operating controls, but sadly won't offer an MP3 music audio version.

TechCrunch speculates the upcoming Kindle 2.0 will have a large screen better suited for textbooks, while Crunchgear says an insider claims two new models in multiple colors, with larger screens, and with an improved interface will hit stores this holiday season.

Only time will tell who's right, but several news sources recently reported that universities such as Yale, Oxford, Princeton, and the University of California were going digital by publishing e-textbooks for the Kindle, so hopefully, we'll hear more about the collegiate Kindle 2.0 version soon.

Related:

College textbooks go digital for Kindle
Public libraries offer digital downloads
Review of the Kindle