Kindle: Amazon\'s New Wireless Reading Device

Amazon just launched their Kindle, a “wireless reading device”. It’s an ebook reader, of course, with the main difference being that it came from Amazon. Does it deliver?

As a heavy ebook reader, I am constantly looking at the latest ebook devices to see which ones are suitable for my use. The Amazon Kindle has impressive specifications:

- 6-inch 800 x 600 display using E-Ink technology
- 256MB internal storage
- two-thumb keyboard cursor bar
- scroll wheel
- standard mini USB port
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- EVDO wireless
- SD card slot
- user-replaceable, 1530mAh battery

The Kindle seems to me like a solution in search of a problem. Ebooks have been around for a while, and Amazon had a big hand in it when they bought over Mobipocket. I don’t get why they chose to introduce a physical ebook reader instead of just building on what they had with Mobipocket : an ebook store, and ebook reader software for just about every platform available out there (Windows, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry, Palm OS). They could have been iTunes for ebooks, but instead they went the whole hog and want to offer both iTunes and the iPod equivalent.

While the Kindle, specs-wise, is a solid device, it fails on 2 major categories : looks and price. Frankly, the Kindle just doesn’t look cool enough for it to cross over to non-techies. Just like in the MP3 player universe, nobody wanted a portable music device until the iPod came along — which looked good and played well, even though it had less capabilities than existing devices at the time. The Kindle looks like something from the 70′s or 80′s, and compared with existing offerings like the Sony Reader, it’s not a credible choice.

As a replacement for paper books, the Kindle is priced way too high. I feel that Amazon could have gone more aggresive with the pricing, especially with their financial strength. They could have been more innovative with their pricing strategy, perhaps emulating Audible somewhat with their monthly book subscriptions. How about paying $20 a month for 2 books, with a contract of 2 years? That’s easier to stomach than paying $400 up front. Even the Sony Reader is $300. When developers start working on the iPhone (also a $400 device), you can bet that an ebook reader will be high on the list. To recap : the Kindle is simply priced too high to be attractive to the mainstream book reading audience. Will Amazon have to reduce the price two months down the road, like Apple did with the iPhone?

Timing-wise, Amazon is primed to catch the holiday gift-buying season. However, with the high price and the lackluster looks, it will not be an easy gift purchase, unless it’s meant for the techie.

There is one thing that Amazon did right, and which I think will have a big impact on the ebook industry as a whole. That is in the pricing of ebooks. Amazon is selling most new ebooks at $10, and older books at $2. While that’s still a chunk of change, it’s a significant change from current practice where new ebooks are the same price as hardbacks.

I am disappointed that Amazon spent 3 years on this and came out with the Kindle as a result. Along the way, they could have hired a competent industrial designer and came out with better pricing schemes. I hope Amazon can move fast to address the current weaknesses of the Kindle. I have great hopes for the future of ebooks. Amazon is the perfect company to shake up the industry, but they have squandered this opportunity at least.

[ via WSJ and many other online sources ]

Filed under: eBooks

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