As you, savvy reader of electronically published text, are probably aware, Kindle -- Amazon's enviable e-book solution -- sold out the very first week it was available via the online retail giant in spite of a hefty price tag and its status as an untested first-gen product. And in true webernet fashion, some overeager and impatient nerds are spending up to three times the list price on eBay so they can wear the crown of Early Adopter.
Though it may at first seem unfortunate for Amazon to be so ill prepared, the sell-out has elicited a perfect storm of web marketing, with pundits and peons from various industries blogging about the product. Praise and slays continue to pour in from gadget freaks, Silicon Valleyites, book-nerds, authors, actual journalists, everyday consumers, and even one ponderous uber-geek who blogs at KindleOwner.com. Reviews range from fiercely opposed Luddites to hilariously befuddled smart-asses (my fav, obviously), with Amazon's immense marketing engine ceaselessly pimping the digital device during the site's most trafficked time of year.
A note on the official Amazon Kindle page reads:
"Due to heavy customer demand, Kindle is sold out. Because orders are prioritized on a first-come, first-served basis, please ORDER NOW to reserve your place in line. Your Kindle will not arrive by December 24th. Note that Kindles cannot currently be sold or shipped to customers living outside of the U.S."
It's tempting to pin the product's quick sell-out (and its jacked eBay price) on Amazon's clever marketing team, but logic would dictate that the Kindle actually sold out on its own volition. It's hard to imagine that Amazon would have deliberately manufactured so few Kindles that it sold out weeks in advance of the site's last-ditch holiday shipping dates ? even if the buzz about the sell-out has brought Amazon some invaluable, free marketing.
It'll be interesting to see how the reviews slant in the New Year, after untold Kindles are gifted for the holidays, unboxed, and field-tested by more everyday nerds. The reviews thus far are largely positive, though the Kindle's inability to reach parts of the country via EVDO wireless technology has drawn fire from the fly-over states. For now, however, it appears that Amazon can sit back and enjoy what every product developer has dreamed of: feverish demand.
The only downside? Amazon being the sole retailer means no laughable videos of early adopters sleeping out on city sidewalks in the dead of winter. I guess we'll have to wait for Apple's eventual foray into the e-book space for that.
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Chris Steib is a writer and digital-media enthusiast living in historic East Harlem, New York. Unlike Chip Kidd, Chris thinks the Kindle and other e-book efforts are the future of publishing. He has a Sony Reader and uses it regularly, though admittedly not as much as he uses paper.
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Comments: 17
Does it feel like this thing is a huge technological step backwards? What is Amazon going to come out with next? A new portable phone?
Monkey: Haha, good one: "portable phone"! Like somebody would want to talk on a phone in public places. Yeah, right...and I'll be over here in my space ship!
Check out my semi-finalist chapter in the Borders/Court TV Search for the Next Great Crime Novelist competition. THE HARD BOUNCE – CHAPTER 2
3,083 of 4,037 people found the following review helpful:
The Good, Bad, and Ugly, November 20, 2007
By Alex P Keaton "AlexP" (PA, USA) - See all my reviews
The Good:
The screen is actually pretty nice on this device. This is one of those new style of paper screens that make it much easier to read on than an on your PC, iPhone, or PDA. +1 points.
The Bad:
- Price. $400 is way too much. -1
- The books you buy from Amazon are DRMed. This means that 10 years from now, you will probably not be able to read the books you buy. -1
The Ugly:
- No PDF support which makes it completely useless for most people who would like a device to review documents while traveling. -1
- This does not replace the book. What Amazon does not understand, is that I want something that could replace my *laptop* so I can review work related PDF files without printing them out. I do not want something to replace my paperback novel which is cheaper, more durable, has infinite battery life, and I'll be able to read 20 years from now. -1
The phone screen IS small, but after only a little while I forgot about that and just had that feeling of being in the story. I find that the ultra portability of the phone is something you don't get with anything else. I think even specialized eReaders try to be about as big as a book, after my phone reading experience that seems too big.
From my POV here's why it's a great product:
1) The screen is very easy to read. More so than an actual book.
2) I have 2GB of memory to store all of the books that I could ever hope to own in one small portable package.
3) I can search my entire library of books including newspapers, magazines and blogs.
4) Being able to try, buy and download books right from the device is great. I have never had to connect to my computer.
5) I can get the Wall Street Journal delivered to my Kindle every morning.
6) I can bookmark and annotate any content.
7) It's fun to use!
But don't take my word for it. Check out the reviews on Amazon and you will find that the positive reviews are from people who actually have tried one or own one. And the negative reviews are from people who are just repeating what they've heard others who have never actually used one or are stating their opinion based upon a photograph of the Kindle they saw online.
Try it first and then give me your review.
Seriously, every time someone says something about a "good-old-fashioned book" and the way it "feels in your hands," I want to use a Tolstoy novel to wipe my arse. It's incredibly myopic to think that digital books will not someday (and not too far in the future) be a significant driver of sales in a once paper-only industry. (After all, e-book year-over-year sales are rising at about 25x that of paper books in any category.)
If you remember, not too long ago many people were saying they couldn't imagine reading a newspaper or magazine online. And while some of you may still get home delivery (tree killers!), circulation/readership and revenues in the print industry are dwindling at break-neck speeds...all the while online ad spend increased 25% (to $20bn) in 2007. See that as a writing on the wall and embrace the future, my paper-dependent friends.
heck...they're even worse, really - THEY have a Canadian 'sister' site.... I just placed an order with them .... probably wouldn't have if I'd read this first.
It irritates me when ONLINE companies decide to only serve the US
Sure, everyone who's grown up with a paper book in their hand will always prefer that. But with each generation, we are getting more and more "techy". It wouldn't surprise me if my grandchildren read LOTS of eBooks on a device that did it all.
It's been my experience that eBooks in general have many hidden treasures. Theirs are the plots NY didn't or couldn't take a "chance" on, and therefore, you can find some wonderful, refreshing reads within their electronic "pages." So to snub them out of turn would be a mistake, I think.
Regardless of your version of choice, saying no to eBooks is closing your door on some great reads. Pity, that.
~~Becka
Well, maybe. But can't imagine those eBay prices are going to hold up for long.
Susan