16 December 2011

A follow-up

So, after I posted the last Amazon post, my hubby found this story:

As Kindle Fire Faces Critics, Remedies Are Promised

The Kindle Fire, Amazon’s heavily promoted tablet, is less than a blazing success with many of its early users. The most disgruntled are packing the device up and firing it back to the retailer.

A few of their many complaints: there is no external volume control. The off switch is easy to hit by accident. Web pages take a long time to load. There is no privacy on the device; a spouse or child who picks it up will instantly know everything you have been doing. The touch screen is frequently hesitant and sometimes downright balky.

Personally, I think the genius behind the Kindle Product line is not the device itself, but the ecosystem that it builds.

My mom (a non-reader of this blog) is getting a Kindle for Christmas. I have found myself browsing more on Amazon lately for titles that I want to buy, especially if they are set by the publisher and not by the seller.

I do think that the complaints sound legitimate and are definitely things I would not be happy with. A co-worker of mine bought a pair of them for his 12 year old twins (yes, he is a brave man.) No complaints from him or the twins.

Bethany and I spend a fair amount of time on this subject as we believe that publishing is on the verge of something new and great. eReaders are definitely a part of it.

What is your vision for Amazon? Or, ereaders in general?

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