Why Does the Kindle Matter
If you google for Reviews of the Kindle, you will see that most of the reviews are lukewarm. The usual gadget sites like gizmodo and engaget have just a few entries about the Kindle. Most recommends a wait-and-see instead of buy it now. They are all missing the point.
These reviews are written by gadget lovers (I being one). They all complaint about the ugliness of the device, the copy protection of the material, the lack of (direct) support for PDF, the lack of a companion PC/Mac based reading software for any purchased books. The truth is, non of that matters. Kindle is not a gadget. As Jeff Bezos says, they designed the Kindle “to disappear”.
e-readers are all about the availability, the price, and the ease of getting content (books and magazine) to the reader. By removing the need for a PC, the need for syncing, the need for wires, the need for anything, even our parents, yes, those people who reads a lot, can use it. They can use it easily to buy and read books.
The only surprising thing about the Kindle launch is the price and the lack of quantity. Amazon ran out of them within the first two days. The available dates moved from “now (Nov 21st)” to Nov 28th, to Dec 5th as of this blog entry. Demand is there. This is going to be THE Christmas present for the “normal” people. Go get one!
