Well, Amazon’s Kindle made it–just in time for Cyber Monday today. Amazon has a huge spread on the glories of Kindle, complete with video demonstration and words from Jeff Bezos and Toni Morrison. Already there are over 700 customer reviews with an average three-star rating out of five.
Today, Larry Magid wrote: “The first batch of Kindles sold out quickly and Amazon says it won’t have more in stock until Dec. 6. But my guess is that the Kindle will have modest success and won’t become a bestseller. But it does point the way to the future of reading. As paper and other natural resources get more expensive, this is the obvious way to go, especially for students and school districts who are now burdened with heavy, expensive and often outdated text books. But if I were Jeff Bezos, I’d worry about Steve Jobs. It wouldn’t take too many Apple programmers to turn an iPhone and an iPod into an iReader.”
Here is the conclusion of a review of Kindle on Gizmodo.com:
“My verdict is that a connected e-book reader was what the world needed, and as long as Amazon’s library expands to encompass every book I want to read, I see no reason why I should be upset that I have to buy it from them. Yes, $399 is expensive, but that’s likely to drop, and the more market-resistant $9.99 book price hits a Jobsian sweet spot.
“Having lived with the Kindle, I can say that it serves most of my immediate reading needs. As a guy who enjoys amassing a vast library of books and displaying them in bookcases, I am a little frightened of the future, but inevitability is the name of the game, and fear of change isn’t a good enough excuse. Will I continue to buy books or will I jump into Amazon book buying mode? That remains to be seen, but you, o early adopter, should not share my fears. The Kindle is a quality invention, and I can see why the first batch sold out so fast.”
Wilson Rothman, “Amazon Kindle Real-Life Review,” Gizmodo.com, November 23, 2007 .
I think the point about Apple is right on. I would only add to that Google’s push into the phone market as well, and Google has digitized all those books already. They’re position to do a lot of things with ebooks if they wanted to.
Two more reviewers on the Kindle:
“The market will keep real books alive unless and until an e-book comes along that does the job just as well, and I don’t think we’re anywhere near that with current e-book technology. The Kindle may turn out to be a nice convenience for travelers who don’t want to lug multiple books around with them. But for everyday pleasure reading, the book still has it all over any screen. And you never have to recharge the battery.” (Wiliam Powers, “We’ve Heard This Story Before,” LA Times, December 2, 2007, M5)
“The Amazon Kindle is not the ultimate eBook reader, but it is a giant step in the right direction. After using one heavily over the last 24 hours, I have found much that I like, things I don’t like, and a clearer vision for what the next eBook device should include.” (Michael Hyatt, “Kindle: First Impression,” From Where I Sit, November 21, 2007 )