Mark Kolier’s Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Amazon Kindle’

Before I left for China a couple of weeks ago I had intentions of purchasing an Apple iPad possibly ahead of the April 3rd release date here in the United States. The Chinese government had different ideas and delayed the launch in Asia (it still has not launched) where often tech items are released there in advance of the U.S. Since the Apple iPad’s launch last weekend much has been written about the experience. Based upon what I’ve been reading (a lot) I’m less in a hurry to have one than I was before.

One of the early comments I really liked was that the iPad was a ‘lean back not a lean forward device”. New York Times columnist David Pogue http://nyti.ms/bziIpy had several interesting perspectives on the iPad. The Apple iPad has no flash, no USB port, no camera, and touch screen typing that rally needs to be lay-flat to use. Maybe that’s the lean-forward thing but if it is that’s far from ideal. Walter Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal and “All things Digital” http://walt.allthingsd.com was more positive but managed to suppress some of the less attractive features.

Another noted pundit/blogger Jeff Jarvis http://www.buzzmachine.com is not impressed at all. And while he demonstrated much more passion in his dislike he makes some very good points.

Full disclosure I’ve not held an iPad in my hands. But the display is supposedly brilliant although in broad daylight I imagine there will be some difficulties. You won’t be taking you iPad to the beach. Also as a replacement for your laptop it is more portable but far from a content creator. So if you want to read on the road and rid yourself of all the newspaper subscriptions and receive them on the iPad – that may indeed be greener but it won’t be any less expensive once you factor in the cost of the iPad as well as the monthly service ($60 or more depending on if you want both wireless 3G as well as cellular coverage). And then you still have to pay the publisher for the electronically delivered content. Carrying the iPad around may not be a joy however. And there’s no phone so you still need a phone since the iPad is an overgrown iTouch. And what will you carry it in? I see a sub-market for iPad carrying sleeves, cases etc. There will be even more outlay for you buyers way beyond the apps you will buy for the iPad.

I can see that an iPad (or like device since HP has one in development to be released by Christmas 2010) will ultimately be used as your own personal television receiver. And it promises to be a terrific viewer experience with vibrant color and dynamic image reproduction. Complete with the ability to truly be interactive with the viewer (watch an ad – touch the screen and engage with the brand), the ipadTV (and HPTV) will very likely change the way people consume content. I like that idea.

I was a first adopter of the Amazon Kindle and as those of you that follow this blog I have had my issues with it but by and large have enjoyed the experience and am happy with the way Amazon has handled interactions (I still have an original Kindle but am on my 4th Kindle never having paid for anything other than the first one).

But being a first has its benefits and detriments. Being an early adopter of tablet computing appears to be the way I am headed. I am going to stand on the sidelines a little longer. After all this is the tip of the iceberg and tablets will get better and get better quickly. Steve Jobs is a really smart guy. And being first here seems to me to be the primary motivation. Remember all the nasty things that were said about the iPod and how did that work out?

How about you – who’s got an iPad,? What do you think? And if you don’t but are thinking about it why are you waiting?

As I posted recently I have reconsidered my relationship with the Amazon’s Kindle. Having read the limited warranty that came with the device as well as what is posted on the website it seemed clear to me that after one year there was no guarantee. At the time I was aggravated, unhappy and perplexed. I was wrong too. Sometimes you have to make that phone call.

Of course I did not make it. My wife did since she had originally bought me the Kindle and had worked out the (now) 3 replacement Kindles. She spoke with them (although finding the right customer service number was a little bit tough) about the fact that my Kindle had simply died. They said no problem and sent a replacement Kindle to arrive THE NEXT DAY at Amazon’s expense. It was already loaded with my contact information such that as soon as I charged it up and turned it on it was easy to download the books that I had previously purchased into the replacement device from the content manager.

I am pleased, impressed and yes still a little perplexed. While I still hold that Amazon should send a replacement Kindle to any customer that complains their Kindle has stopped working (which they have done) as long as the customer sends back the old one (still at Amazon’s expense which is the case). But I have two questions.

1) Why don’t they publicize this feature? Possible answer – Amazon does not want to advertise that the device is somewhat fragile since that could undermine overall customer perception particularly in view of the new e-reader devices on the market. Anyone that calls will receive a replacement Kindle but one HAS to call.

2) Did anyone from Amazon actually read my blog post such that they decided to send me a replacement Kindle? I’m hardly one to be over-impressed with my own impact or self-importance so I highly doubt that.
Sales of e-books had reached just shy of $ 100 million as of August 2009 according to the Association of American Publishers. Additionally analysts are calling for sales to triple again over the next 13 months. And the Kindle is Amazon’s best selling item across ALL of its markets.

The Kindle aims to be the I-pod of e-readers. I think Amazon has a good shot there. However I do think they missed an opportunity with me to ‘buy’ up to the newer device the Kindle 2 or large screen tablet. I would have paid 50% (or less) of the purchase price of one of those newer devices. Instead I have a refurbished original Kindle – which I am grateful for but it was an opportunity lost as far as I am concerned.
Of course I could just be being greedy. Amazon continues to prove to be one of the leaders in customer service and satisfaction. And that’s high ground to hold.

As an early adopter (November 2007) of the Kindle I have been a rather ardent fan of what could now be considered the forerunner of e-readers. I recently downloaded several titles that I wanted to read. I opened my Kindle the other night to see some odd horizontal lines across the entire screen yet the device was in the off position. After charging and recharging with no change in the display it was obvious that the flame had gone out on my Kindle.

Out of warranty (this one was more than a year old) apparently I am out of luck. So now I have several titles in my account that I cannot view unless I purchase a new Kindle or I guess return my Kindle to Amazon (at my cost) and hope that they can somehow repair it for less than the cost of the now reduced price of $ 259. I paid $ 399 for mine and it does thrill me that not once did Amazon offer me some sort of discount on purchasing the latest version which apparently is superior to the one that I have. Of course mine now does not work at all so a book with no printing is on a par.

A little history – the first one I received did not work and I had to send it back. Amazon had me check a bunch of things prior to agreeing to replace it which they did with no questions asked. Then I had another one which after several months also went dead. Again through the checklist that Amazon has you do on the phone (a half hour or so) with their tech person before they assented to my sending it back for yet a third which I received and has been working fine for more than a year.

I have been (and remain) a fan of Amazon in general. Jeff Bezos is a smart guy and has defied his critics in managing a company that has a stellar reputation for customer service and intuitive product offerings. But I really don’t understand the idea of not offering a replacement for a broken Kindle ANY TIME a customer asks. After all aren’t I going to use that platform to purchase e-books for the foreseeable future? And I buy a fair amount of books. I can ‘return’ those titles that I downloaded but have not read for some sort of rebate but that really does not solve my problem. I love e-readers (as well as traditional books) and think they will only get better (how about color folks and a back-lighted screen option?).

So now I have to reconsider my entire relationship with Amazon’s Kindle. Maybe the Sony Reader, or the new device from Plastic Logic, or maybe even the new Barnes & Noble device. What a shame, the Kindle had me at hello.