Amazon Kindle: Flop
Uh, sure, if you say so.
(Credit: Crave)With Amazon's decision to become a hardware company and release an e-book reader, for some odd reason, the Internet has been abuzz discussing the possibilities of this "grand device."
In fact, a number of people are already calling it the future of book publishing and they expect it to supplant ink and paper.
Sure. Keep telling yourself that.
Reason 1 for why the Kindle will be a flop: It's ugly
Honestly now, take a look at this homely device and tell me it isn't one of the ugliest products you have ever seen. It actually brings me back to the mid-nineties when disgusting beige PCs dominated this business.
Hasn't Amazon learned anything from Apple? If nothing else, it should have known that part of Apple's success over the past few years has been due to its ability to bring good looking products to market.
Personally, I'd be a bit embarrassed to carry this around. Undeniably I would get a few inquiries as to when the device was made. Invariably my answer would be "1989."
Reason 2 for why the Kindle will be a flop: Look at its competition
Has Amazon learned nothing from the Sony Reader, the Hanlin eReader or the Cybook? Each of those devices were flops because people found no reason to have one. When bookstores are within driving distance and Amazon.com is a click away of most people, what's the impetus to use one of these?
Everything I've heard from the proponents of this device attempt to glorify it as the "21st century's book." What a crock. E-book Readers provide few valuable experiences. And out of that list, the Sony Reader is easily the best device, but by and large, it's clunky to use and there aren't enough benefits of ownership to justify a purchase.
Reason 3 for why the Kindle will be a flop: What's the big deal?
If for no other reason, electronics sell because they offer the consumer a unique experience that makes life just a little easier or a bit more enjoyable. Does the Kindle do any of those?
First off, it's not that unique -- it's an e-book reader that can connect to Wikipedia and allow you to download books on the fly with the help of EVDO. And if you really like to read, you can carry 200 books at one time. Great.
Secondly, are e-books that much better than books? I certainly don't think so. I don't know about you, but I can only read one book at a time and carrying a stack of paper is just as easy as carrying a 10 ounce device. Would it be nice to download books without going to the store? I guess. But if I buy my books from Amazon, I don't need to leave home anyway.
Reason 4 for why the Kindle will be a flop: Its price
Maybe it's just me, but why would I pay $400 for a device that will allow me to read a book? Don't I have eyes for that?
In the end, it seems like the writing is on the wall. Not only will Amazon's Kindle be a flop, it provides no added benefit of ownership. The ink and paper book industry may not be as strong as it once was, but e-book readers will not put the nail in its coffin.
Stick to retail, Amazon. It's safer that way.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
The problem is not the concept but the maturity of the technology. It is only with the advent of E ink that we have the ability to read of a screen without burning our eyes out. Music went digital, what do you have against books going the same way?
Not mentioned anywhere in CNET, but by far the most amazing ebook reader, and of course the most expensive is the Irex Iliad. It opens umpteen different formats, has wifi, lets you write on it, and looks cool. There is an emerging market for these thinks (the airline industry swears by them, when the engineering is right and the price drops so will the consumer.
Open your mind and close your mouth!!
I first saw this device and was like, "FTW???" Literally.
It looks dated, there is no market for these types of devices, and its friggin' expensive.
Just sell me books, CDs, and DVDs, Amazon. That's all I need from you, and all I will ever need from you.
I agree the Kindle has it's faults but come on man, you may not like the idea, which is fine, but thousands of others do. Of course there is a market.
Would you have said the same about CDs when you had vinyl? DVDs when you had VHS?
My 2 cents.
Later
Brad
There were plenty of naysayers when the iPod first showed up; new things make people uncomfortable at first. Will traditional books disappear? I doubt it. When digital watches first came out, it was a common idea that analog watches would disappear. Now both have a place in the market since there are aesthetic values that analog watches provide.
Amazon has a unique position in book distribution and is making a valiant effort to move to the electronic age before physical book distribution declines.
This book format will ultimately provide new audiences for books and magazines that have worldwide appeal.
Finally, is it better to be fast or perfect to establish a new product category? I say it is better to provide something reasonably good quickly with a commitment to improve it than to seek perfection and miss the opportunity. I'm part of www.ventimar.com
At launch they had sold out of their initial stock, and C. Rose had a good interview.
What IS good about it is the overall size/weight. But thanks to the tech it uses you can't read it in low light/dark
As for the author, I don't know what to say. Thrash the product fine, but first say let us know you don't like the idea of e-books period.
Think of it this way, I can have ALL the ST/SW books ALL of the Books by R Heinlein,Anne Mccaffery, Asimov Dickens and hundreds more stored on a SINGLE DVD.
How many trees would that take, and aside from that how much SPACE would it fill?
Not all of us are able to have a room just for our books, even the weight of that many books alone is hard to move (let alone having a moving company do it)
Right now I use a PPC and Ubook to read what I carry with me, (multiple txt's in a RAR) highly compressed, I like the overall size but it needs a cover, and a different OPEN system so you can read all the major format
$9.99 for a book? You have got to be kidding. I can buy a paperback for less than that. Books should have been more like $5 or even less, and since there is no production cost for the publishers that would have been very nearly 100% profit.
YADRM
Yup. Kindle uses it's own format and it's own DRM. Not like there are 5 other good eBook standards or anything. So when this fails I once again own nothing for my $400 plus $10 a book costs.
I still think a device like this would be great in education where students need pounds and pounds of books for a short period of time. If a student could rent a book for the semester with an option to buy it at the end it really could work.
good review, it gives a balanced opinion, not a total slam.
Although the keyboard does look pretty cheesy, the device is only 10-11
ounces, and is really slim; I don't mind its look at all.
I haven't bought one, and prefer a good hardback book, but if I traveled or
commuted every day I would have one. The idea of having several
newspapers, blogs, etc. downloaded every night sounds really appealing to
me.
In addition, there is no Internet connection fee associated with the Kindle,
although the price certainly covers a lot of online time.
If I were riding a train every morning, I wouldn't want to pull my laptop out
just to read a book or a newspaper or a blog; this sounds ideal for frequent
travelers.
Also, when I did travel all the time, I used to pack around a half-dozen
books to make it through the trip; this sounds much better.
Your review is awful and you'll be proven wrong on this device.
B) Lots of people don't actually own laptops. Sure, these things are expensive now, but will come down in price as more content providers clue in to the fact that many many many people don't want to lug around a laptop on the train.
C) Lots of people aren't Apple users who require that their function be accompanied by empty prettyness. WHO THE HELL CARES WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE if it provides you with what you need? What are we all in junior high?
D) You mean, I can get my newspaper delivered in digital format every day, WITHOUT having to pay for expensive cellular data service??!?!?! Where can I get one?!!!
You forgot to mention the FREE wireless downloading of books from anywhere that comes with Kindle. That is kind of an important point. Duh.
But for the general reader? I don't think so. How many people fall asleep at night reading? You don't mind if you drop a book as you nod off, it will usually land undamaged, save for a bent page or two. But drop this thing? Ouch!
Further, one can trade in a huge aftermarket of used books - plus at a booksale or used book store one can look through a book to see if it's something one wants - rather than spending $9.99 on a whim. If I can get a used book sometimes for pennies on the dollar, where's the incentive for this thing?
We're victims with these gizmos of too much 20th century sci-fi speculation. The basic book design works and has worked well for centuries. It will continue to do so, despite all these promises of gizmos. As a history professor once intoned, "this too, shall pass."
- by karenthelibrarian August 12, 2009 6:09 AM PDT
- it is 9 am, and i already know that my day has been made. i love pre-release product reviews.
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