Not long ago I said that Dymocks’ move to start selling ebooks was a big deal in terms of the growth of the format.
The news that Amazon is now selling it’s own ebook reader is a huge leap for ebooks. I won’t go into much detail about the unit – you can read all about it on the Amazon page or any of the large number of write-ups all over the web. I will give my thoughts about the concept though.
Some people are happy reading ebooks on their PDA, phone, notebook or desktop computer. The problem is that most people do not consider these to be ideal formats for reading. Notebooks and desktops have limitations due to their large size. PDAs and phones also have limitations do to their small size and potential (or perceived potential) eye strain from prolonged reading. That’s where the Kindle comes in. The screen gives a “page” size closer to the size of a physical book and is designed for easier reading. As the unit is specifically designed for the purpose of reading, it should be better at this that other multi-purpose devices.
Sony has had a similar style of ebook reader out for sometime, but this is a case where content is king. Amazon is a widely recognised bookseller. Lots and lots of people buy books from their website already and the Kindle is designed to be used with their content. It is the combination of hardware and content that make this such a big deal.
It still means carrying an extra device, rather than using a PDA/phone as all-in-one, but it can replace books, magazines and newspapers and should be better at handling this content that a phone/PDA. I suspect that its biggest problem may be the $399USD pricetag. Although I just checked the website and they are reporting that it has sold out already.
Having said that a device like the Kindle should make ebook reading more appealing to more people, I wonder if it will always be necessary. Perhaps it is the sort of device that gets more people comfortable with ebooks, who then decide that they are happy to read on their smartphone and carry one less device. Time will tell.
This is an interesting time for ebooks. The potential growth I see happening in this market makes me wonder agin how long until libraries get more involved in this sort of thing. As more and more people become comfortable with ebooks, we should be looking at delivering the format. Allowing people to download books through their library website, or even borrow an ebook reader loaded up with half a dozen books sounds like a promising concept to me.
Edit: Others have looked at Kindle in more detail and raised concerns about the way Amazon have implimented this. Fair points, but I still think it is a big deal that Amazon are throwing their weight behind ebooks. I still think the $400 price tag is it’s biggest problem.
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I think one of the key problems is that everything is wrapped up in DRM and amazon proprietry formats.
It completely debunks the whole idea of sharing books.
And it looks like it was discovered in an 80’s time capsule.
I agree on the DRM concerns. I also agree on the styling concerns. However, I still feel that Amazon has the clout to push ebooks forward in spite of these problems.
I could be wrong, but eren’t iTunes store songs hampered a bit by DRM initially?
Yes, iTunes songs (excepting most of EMI and some independent labels’ music) are DRM-laden. BUT, you don’t HAVE to buy music from iTunes to go on the iPod. You can put a variety of different formats on it.
And you can still share your DRM’d tracks with up to 5 different devices (although they must be Apple hardware or software). But then you can still burn them to CD, and re-import them DRM-free.
But with the Kindle – you buy from Amazon, direct to the one device. It plays only Amazon formatted eBooks, and it doesn’t let you do anything else with them…
I sort of agree, and don’t particularly like the stringent DRM. If you can’t sell or give away your book, then it feels like you are in effect paying for the right to access the book, rather than buying it. But having some sort of DRM is an inherent problem with digital content.
Amazon do say that you can download your own files to your Kindle. It will accept Mobi format which you can buy from various places. It accepts Audible audio books. They are sorting out problems with PDF too, which will allow you to get free books from Gutenberg.
I compared it with Apple because it seems to me that having the “oomph” of the iPod manufacturer behind the iTunes store was a big step for making digital music sales more mainstream. In a similar way I think Amazon has the clout to have a big impact on ebooks.
Personally, I won’t be buying a Kindle any time soon for several reasons:
1. Not available in Australia anyway
2. Too expensive
3. DRM and associated limitations
4. It’s fugly
5. No matter how cheap the ebooks are, they are still more expensive than library books
6. My next foray into ebooks will be trying free books from gutenberg on the diminutive treo screen
Interstingly enough, I was listening to the latest MacBreak Weekly (68) podcast this morning, and Andy Ihnatko spent the first 20 minutes or so talking about how much he loves the Kindle.
It had nothing to do with books – he likened it to a waffle-making robot. You’d be better off listening to him talk about it.
Or wait for his article to appear in the Chicago Sun Herald (I think) or on his blog.
Certainly highlighted a much different side of the Kindle though..