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The Kindle just looks more and more like an intermediate form, like MP3-enabled CD players (remember those?) Once you get people comfy with reading books on a
by zach 17y ago
The Kindle just looks more and more like an intermediate form, like MP3-enabled CD players (remember those?) Once you get people comfy with reading books on a screen, I'm not sure it's as big a step to the iPhone or a laptop, even if the (fairly convincing) case laid out for an Apple reader pad doesn't come to pass.
Of course, Amazon can win in distribution on other platforms, they are much better off for creating the Kindle themselves, and the Kindle compares well to AppleTV, a product seemingly far less likely to set the world ablaze. But this article offers some reasonable evidence that the Kindle doesn't seem as much like the iPod for books as the forerunner to it.
- lacker 17y agoThe other devices just have the wrong sort of screen. It's much more comfortable to read for long periods off the e-ink screens designed for it than off a laptop screen.
- zach 17y agoThe e-ink displays are lovely. Still, dual-mode screens like the OLPC are bound to pop up more often in laptops and mobile devices. Then again, it hasn't kept Japanese phone users from reading on their phones. http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1050138/lg-to-show-dual-mode-lcd-screen-at-ces http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1050138/lg-to-show-...
- stcredzero 17y agoThe Kindle just looks more and more like an intermediate form, like MP3-enabled CD players More like DRM-crippled players. What's missing is the equivalent of Protools for publishing. Ironic because there's already something like Oasis. LaTex is a bit esoteric for most people. So are most "desktop publishing" offerings. Most word processors don't go far enough. Does Pages have this functionality? Music is going from a "hits" business to a "long-tail" model. Devices like this can do it for books as well. Software that enables this is going to sell well.