Kindle's beauty is it is a dedicated reader. It provides a top notch digital reading experience. Adding a back lit screen to make the device do more, for many readers will probably be a step backwards. It might still sell, but probably not for people who truly love reading.
I love reading, and I'm a writer.
I can't stand "eInk" and wouldn't buy a reader that used it if you paid me.
Edit: As I'm typing this, I'm also sitting on a bench in direct sunlight, reading a comic on my iPad.
2) I don't think Kindle buyers necessarily PREFER e-ink. That's far from proven. E-ink is just what you got at the Kindle price.
E-ink is the only reason for our two Kindles, otherwise we would simply use our iDevices. Amazon would lose a lot of readers were they to abandon that. I can't imagine them doing it.
IMO - Anyone comparing this to the iPad and saying it will fail is wrong. This is not a competitor to the iPad because of all its limitations, this is a Nook competitor and to all other ereaders. And if they can steal a few sales from possible iPad buyers that's added gravy. I think it will be a huge seller to the Kindle fanbase of which there are millions. My only question to Amzn is what about all those "you can't read a tablet (iPad) in the sun, buy our eInk Kindle for easy reading." Will those ads cease and is their tablet an admission that LCD screens are okay after all?
Kindle's beauty is it is a dedicated reader. It provides a top notch digital reading experience. Adding a back lit screen to make the device do more, for many readers will probably be a step backwards. It might still sell, but probably not for people who truly love reading.
That sounds like the same basic argument against smaller iPods and the iPod Touch compared to the iPod Classic which is for audiophiles that truly care about music.
You really can't see Amazon offering a line of Kindles that can successfully meet multiple user types? To me this was always a no-brainer.
It's just a colour Kindle. Not an iPad competitor. That makes sense.
The iPad is going in a different direction. It's a laptop replacement. It'll keep moving into more of the spaces where you find laptops now. Retina display, more power, more memory.
There's a chance a device like this could hurt what little Android tablet market there is more than it impacts iPad sales.
For all the bluster about Apple "toys" and real computers, it's Android devices that seem to mostly serve as very simple internet browsing, social networking, email and media consumption devices. If Amazon can offer a cheap tablet that satisfies those needs, I think they'll satisfy a lot of potential Android tablet buyers.
Of course, it will do that by being mostly outside of Google's ad network, which puts a pretty big crimp in the Android plan. If "Android" devices that are running custom, in-house versions that don't access Google's app store or utilize Google's services become popular, Google is left holding nothing but meaningless sales figures.
Apple, meanwhile, continues to build out iOS as a next-gen computing platform with actual usable productivity and content creation apps.
E-ink is the only reason for our two Kindles, otherwise we would simply use our iDevices. Amazon would lose a lot of readers were they to abandon that. I can't imagine them doing it.
philip
Uh-huh. Now read the other posts in this thread. Most posters want nothing to do with e-ink. Sorry, but you and your two Kindles don't necessarily speak for the average consumer. (Neither do they, of course, but that's why I said it is a long, long way from proven that e-ink is the main reason for the Kindle's success.)
E-ink is the only reason for our two Kindles, otherwise we would simply use our iDevices. Amazon would lose a lot of readers were they to abandon that. I can't imagine them doing it.
philip
Almost as if Amazon is making the worst reader possible: no e-ink and not a full blown android. The only way forward for them is to make a better e-ink kindle with emphasis on even better readability and good color reproduction. Otherwise why bother, they will get left behind in the iPad clone market with an underspec. device.
OMG, reading the many quick web reports on Siegler's post, we have another wave of the Great White Tablet Hope/Hype. This is the one at last! look out Apple!
many cite a "complete" Amazon ecosystem? well yes i guess if you ignore all the other Apple ecosystem's hardware, software, and walk-in retail stores that the iPad is integrated with.
others point to Amazon's web retail marketing muscle. yes they're right Amazon can spam us to death with Kindle ads whenever we go to its web site to buy cat food or something. i don't know if that is as effective as those incredibly slick iPad TV ads tho.
some praise it's "improved" Android-underneath UI (that none have actually tried). i'm not sure how knocking off Apple's cover flow to get to stuff on the screen is any better than knocking off Apple's app grid approach to do it. and just how polished will this UI be, given this is Amazon's first try ever?
then they point to Amazon's newish cloud app and media stores, compared to MobileMe. but its media streaming/lockbox service is nowhere near a smashing success either so far. sure, the retail website is, but so what? that's for buying cat food. Google of course has the best package of cloud services by far - except for media too - but Amazon is pushing them aside. And Apple's new iCloud will be deployed next month along with iOS 5, before the Kindle can get to market apparently, building on its huge iTunes customer base - actually a very sophisticated cloud retail service already. doesn't sell cat food tho.
What the Kindle really is, apparently, is a stripped down small internet tablet for media and web browsing. no GPS, no camera, no 3G, not much storage. you can already buy tablets like this running Android 2.x from $250 from several other OEM's today.
but that's ok, hype the Kindle to the max! the bigger the hype, the bigger the flop.
Kindle's beauty is it is a dedicated reader. It provides a top notch digital reading experience. Adding a back lit screen to make the device do more, for many readers will probably be a step backwards. It might still sell, but probably not for people who truly love reading.
I've been reading almost exclusively on a Kindle for about three and a half years.
No eyestrain, no headaches.
To me, dropping e-ink seems like a step backwards, especially in exchange for fairly limited tablet functionality.
So instead, maybe a desperate attempt at lurching forward.
But then, my tastes and MO aren't necessarily anyone else's.
The only reason I would buy a Kindle is for the eInk screen. In my view, big mistake.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pmcd
E-ink is the only reason for our two Kindles, otherwise we would simply use our iDevices. Amazon would lose a lot of readers were they to abandon that. I can't imagine them doing it.
I think Amazon should sell this along side a revised e-Ink reader - one without the space wasting keyboard, and with a lower price, say $99. Then let the market decide.
Like the Nook Color, PlayBook, and Samsung's original 7 inch Galaxy Tab, Amazon's new Kindle won't run Google's latest tablet-specific version of Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Instead, the Kindle is reported to run a modified version of Android 2.2 Froyo that uses a highly customized user interface created by Amazon.
"The interface is all Amazon and Kindle," Siegler wrote. "It?s black, dark blue, and a bunch of orange. The main screen is a carousel that looks like Cover Flow in iTunes which displays all the content you have on the device. This includes books, apps, movies, etc. Below the main carousel is a dock to pin your favorite items in one easy-to-access place. When you turn the device horizontally, the dock disappears below the fold."
The device lacks any physical buttons. Users navigate to the home screen via on-screen navigation. The device is said to be integrated into Amazon's own appstore, and lacks any Google apps or access to Google's Android Market.
Instead, the device includes a Kindle app, Amazon's Cloud Player app for music, and the company's Instant Video player for viewing its Netflix-like video subscription service. The device is reported to be built around a single core processor, will initially be WiFi only, and have only 6GB of storage, relying on Amazon's cloud services to access content. It also lacks a camera.
None of this is a positive and all points to failure for this tablet. No compatibility with Android apps? Single core cpu? 7" screen? Wifi only AND relying on cloud storage? No camera? Wierd, custom OS based on older Android software with a completely nonstandard UI? Lack of any physical buttons?
At $250 that's overvalued. People might pay $99 for it though, given that it runs 3(ish) apps, has no horsepower and no storage.
All Amazon is gonna do by making something this abominable is hurt their good reputation. B&N is on the verge of going under, the Nook's days are numbered. Amazon has no competition in the ebook reader space. They need to focus on doing what they do well, make better Kindles. Try and figure out how to get a 10" e-ink screen model to weigh 0.5lbs and cost $100 bucks. Then they would really move units and sell books. Going after the iPad market by trying to create their own Frankenstein ecosystem is gonna backfire bigtime.
Uh-huh. Now read the other posts in this thread. Most posters want nothing to do with e-ink. Sorry, but you and your two Kindles don't necessarily speak for the average consumer. (Neither do they, of course, but that's why I said it is a long, long way from proven that e-ink is the main reason for the Kindle's success.)
See post #37 above. Amazon doesn't agree with you.
Comments
Kindle's beauty is it is a dedicated reader. It provides a top notch digital reading experience. Adding a back lit screen to make the device do more, for many readers will probably be a step backwards. It might still sell, but probably not for people who truly love reading.
I love reading, and I'm a writer.
I can't stand "eInk" and wouldn't buy a reader that used it if you paid me.
Edit: As I'm typing this, I'm also sitting on a bench in direct sunlight, reading a comic on my iPad.
2) I don't think Kindle buyers necessarily PREFER e-ink. That's far from proven. E-ink is just what you got at the Kindle price.
E-ink is the only reason for our two Kindles, otherwise we would simply use our iDevices. Amazon would lose a lot of readers were they to abandon that. I can't imagine them doing it.
philip
At that low price point, there will be some room for this product, but only if hackers can make it more usable.
I doubt Amazon cares about the hacker market. They want to sell stuff.
philip
Neither has to slum withe other tablet makers in Best Buy hell.
Both have their own storefront.
That is what will catapult amazon's device quickly to #2.
Kindle's beauty is it is a dedicated reader. It provides a top notch digital reading experience. Adding a back lit screen to make the device do more, for many readers will probably be a step backwards. It might still sell, but probably not for people who truly love reading.
That sounds like the same basic argument against smaller iPods and the iPod Touch compared to the iPod Classic which is for audiophiles that truly care about music.
You really can't see Amazon offering a line of Kindles that can successfully meet multiple user types? To me this was always a no-brainer.
The iPad is going in a different direction. It's a laptop replacement. It'll keep moving into more of the spaces where you find laptops now. Retina display, more power, more memory.
For all the bluster about Apple "toys" and real computers, it's Android devices that seem to mostly serve as very simple internet browsing, social networking, email and media consumption devices. If Amazon can offer a cheap tablet that satisfies those needs, I think they'll satisfy a lot of potential Android tablet buyers.
Of course, it will do that by being mostly outside of Google's ad network, which puts a pretty big crimp in the Android plan. If "Android" devices that are running custom, in-house versions that don't access Google's app store or utilize Google's services become popular, Google is left holding nothing but meaningless sales figures.
Apple, meanwhile, continues to build out iOS as a next-gen computing platform with actual usable productivity and content creation apps.
E-ink is the only reason for our two Kindles, otherwise we would simply use our iDevices. Amazon would lose a lot of readers were they to abandon that. I can't imagine them doing it.
philip
Uh-huh. Now read the other posts in this thread. Most posters want nothing to do with e-ink. Sorry, but you and your two Kindles don't necessarily speak for the average consumer. (Neither do they, of course, but that's why I said it is a long, long way from proven that e-ink is the main reason for the Kindle's success.)
A sure fired recipe for success....
E-ink is the only reason for our two Kindles, otherwise we would simply use our iDevices. Amazon would lose a lot of readers were they to abandon that. I can't imagine them doing it.
philip
Almost as if Amazon is making the worst reader possible: no e-ink and not a full blown android. The only way forward for them is to make a better e-ink kindle with emphasis on even better readability and good color reproduction. Otherwise why bother, they will get left behind in the iPad clone market with an underspec. device.
many cite a "complete" Amazon ecosystem? well yes i guess if you ignore all the other Apple ecosystem's hardware, software, and walk-in retail stores that the iPad is integrated with.
others point to Amazon's web retail marketing muscle. yes they're right Amazon can spam us to death with Kindle ads whenever we go to its web site to buy cat food or something. i don't know if that is as effective as those incredibly slick iPad TV ads tho.
some praise it's "improved" Android-underneath UI (that none have actually tried). i'm not sure how knocking off Apple's cover flow to get to stuff on the screen is any better than knocking off Apple's app grid approach to do it. and just how polished will this UI be, given this is Amazon's first try ever?
then they point to Amazon's newish cloud app and media stores, compared to MobileMe. but its media streaming/lockbox service is nowhere near a smashing success either so far. sure, the retail website is, but so what? that's for buying cat food. Google of course has the best package of cloud services by far - except for media too - but Amazon is pushing them aside. And Apple's new iCloud will be deployed next month along with iOS 5, before the Kindle can get to market apparently, building on its huge iTunes customer base - actually a very sophisticated cloud retail service already. doesn't sell cat food tho.
What the Kindle really is, apparently, is a stripped down small internet tablet for media and web browsing. no GPS, no camera, no 3G, not much storage. you can already buy tablets like this running Android 2.x from $250 from several other OEM's today.
but that's ok, hype the Kindle to the max! the bigger the hype, the bigger the flop.
Kindle's beauty is it is a dedicated reader. It provides a top notch digital reading experience. Adding a back lit screen to make the device do more, for many readers will probably be a step backwards. It might still sell, but probably not for people who truly love reading.
I've been reading almost exclusively on a Kindle for about three and a half years.
No eyestrain, no headaches.
To me, dropping e-ink seems like a step backwards, especially in exchange for fairly limited tablet functionality.
So instead, maybe a desperate attempt at lurching forward.
But then, my tastes and MO aren't necessarily anyone else's.
We can natter all we want, I suppose.
The marketplace will decide.
The only reason I would buy a Kindle is for the eInk screen. In my view, big mistake.
E-ink is the only reason for our two Kindles, otherwise we would simply use our iDevices. Amazon would lose a lot of readers were they to abandon that. I can't imagine them doing it.
philip
Amazon certainly agrees with you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vqeXaa1pw8
Like the Nook Color, PlayBook, and Samsung's original 7 inch Galaxy Tab, Amazon's new Kindle won't run Google's latest tablet-specific version of Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Instead, the Kindle is reported to run a modified version of Android 2.2 Froyo that uses a highly customized user interface created by Amazon.
"The interface is all Amazon and Kindle," Siegler wrote. "It?s black, dark blue, and a bunch of orange. The main screen is a carousel that looks like Cover Flow in iTunes which displays all the content you have on the device. This includes books, apps, movies, etc. Below the main carousel is a dock to pin your favorite items in one easy-to-access place. When you turn the device horizontally, the dock disappears below the fold."
The device lacks any physical buttons. Users navigate to the home screen via on-screen navigation. The device is said to be integrated into Amazon's own appstore, and lacks any Google apps or access to Google's Android Market.
Instead, the device includes a Kindle app, Amazon's Cloud Player app for music, and the company's Instant Video player for viewing its Netflix-like video subscription service. The device is reported to be built around a single core processor, will initially be WiFi only, and have only 6GB of storage, relying on Amazon's cloud services to access content. It also lacks a camera.
None of this is a positive and all points to failure for this tablet. No compatibility with Android apps? Single core cpu? 7" screen? Wifi only AND relying on cloud storage? No camera? Wierd, custom OS based on older Android software with a completely nonstandard UI? Lack of any physical buttons?
At $250 that's overvalued. People might pay $99 for it though, given that it runs 3(ish) apps, has no horsepower and no storage.
All Amazon is gonna do by making something this abominable is hurt their good reputation. B&N is on the verge of going under, the Nook's days are numbered. Amazon has no competition in the ebook reader space. They need to focus on doing what they do well, make better Kindles. Try and figure out how to get a 10" e-ink screen model to weigh 0.5lbs and cost $100 bucks. Then they would really move units and sell books. Going after the iPad market by trying to create their own Frankenstein ecosystem is gonna backfire bigtime.
Uh-huh. Now read the other posts in this thread. Most posters want nothing to do with e-ink. Sorry, but you and your two Kindles don't necessarily speak for the average consumer. (Neither do they, of course, but that's why I said it is a long, long way from proven that e-ink is the main reason for the Kindle's success.)
See post #37 above. Amazon doesn't agree with you.
To me, dropping e-ink seems like a step backwards, especially in exchange for fairly limited tablet functionality.
Why do people keep stating Amazon would be dropping eInk-based Kindles?