Cartoon: Kindle XL
The day after you bought that Kindle 2 last week, Jeff Bezos was on a stage announcing a whole new Kindle: the DX, with a larger screen, support for PDFs and a free pony with every purchase. (The screen isn't the only thing that's larger - have a look at the price tag.)
The size increase will go over well with people who need a big canvas - students using the Kindle to read textbooks are a big target audience for the DX. But I can't help but wonder if the newest Kindle is heading in the wrong direction. Portability, after all, is one of the device's most dazzling charms; Kindles 1 and 2 are about the size of a trade paperback, and smaller than most hardcovers.
Here, then, is my prediction: the next Kindle is going to go in the opposite direction, and shrink. In fact, it will truly differentiate itself in the e-book reader market... by getting rid of the display altogether. The Kindle Shuffle should be available in time for Christmas.
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Why I wouldn't buy a kindle:
When I throw my text books down in frustration, they still work.
When I spill beer on my books, they still work.
I have a laptop, I don't need another device.
When studying, it's helpful to jump back and forth around pages. I bet I can do that faster with a book.
Books are cheap.
Books don't run out of batteries.
Books are easy to read.
Books don't come with instructions.
Ben:
"Books are cheap"
Certainly the typical romance novel, or MSCE study guide, can be had for relatively few dollars. However, my Linear Circuits Analysis text from 3rd year physics ran me $220 new. Used, it was $165.
Having gone back to university in 2003 to complete my physics degree, I can tell you that as a student, I would have appreciated the ability to carry *all* my texts in a single device ... as opposed to the 30 lb backpack I was lugging around.
I tried scanning my reference materials to PDF and reading them on my laptop, but you can only do that for an hour or so at a time. An e-ink screen is the next best thing to paper - especially if you plan to do any reading outdoors in direct sunlight. Laptop screens just don't cut it.
Ben's comments aren't all off the mark; a Kindle can run down or break, and doesn't make flipping back and forth very easy.
But I'll definitely side with Mike... especially when it comes to the weight and cost of textbooks. And one or two other advantages:
Here's one thing I'd love to know: has anyone compared the lifecycle enviro impact of a Kindle compared to the impact of printing books?
Yes..
I agree with above comments..Books are always better for reading when it compare to electronic devices...
Kindle is a not a good invention..When we have laptops waht is the use of this..
so sorry amazon....ivent something unique..
personally I don't care much for what any of the technology looks like at this 'infant' stage... I'm just happy a portable practical format for reading text is being pursued. I mean, c'mon - reflective screens that flicker and mess with my eyes? no wonder literacy and attention spans for young people are at its lowest for decades - perhaps if we all enjoyed reading on our computer screens, the Internet would look a lot different than it does today.
The sooner we all embrace the idea of a portable text format (not killing books entirely) the sooner we'll all be better off for working on any electronic screen.
If we all adopt the stance of the many that are trying to suppress and berate the e-ink movement (and substantial investment) by these companies, then we're effectively holding ourselves back in the dark ages. No fun.
Now then - where can I get me one of these billboard sized Kindles ;)
mark
ReDs:
"Kindle is a not a good invention..When we have laptops waht is the use of this.."
Plenty of benefits over a laptop:
1. A much easier-to-read screen. Reading off a backlit screen for extended periods is tiring. E-Ink is higher contrast & resembles paper (it's not an LCD).
2. Long battery life. I charge my Sony e-reader (which uses the same type of screen) once a *month*. And I read on it daily. Compare that to a laptop, which needs to be charged for every 4 hours of use (or if you have a netbook w/a 6 cell battery, every 6-8 hours).
3. Much lighter to carry around than a laptop.
4. Generates much less heat than a laptop.
5. Much more natural form-factor for reading than a laptop.
I could go on, but you get the idea...
Don't get me wrong - I love books and they certainly have their place. But I'd rather have an ereader for all the PDF documentation I have to read ... and when I'm writing code on a 13" MacBook screen, it's nice to have that documentation handy for reference *offscreen*, leaving me a big window in which to write code.
Amazon, you're crazy if you don't send Michael a Kindle DX.
The Kindle DX loses in portability, I fully agree. Maybe it is going to go to the wrong direction. Why not to try to get a Kindle 2 at Americanlisted.com then?
I explain: there is an ongoing contest on http://www.americanlisted.com/competition/
it seems to be fun and easy. It gives you great changes to be the winner!!