Survey: What Keeps You From Buying a Kindle?
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the Kindle lately, but it’s not because I want to buy one.
Since Amazon (AMZN) is my stock pick for 2010, I’m trying to figure out how the country (and the world) is seeing their latest gadget: is it a window into the future or is it a niche product? In other words, will everyone have one of these (or something similar) in five years the way iPhones exploded, or is the almighty book going to prove it has more staying power?
I’d love to hear readers’ thoughts on questions like:
- Price aside, what don’t you like about reading a book on a device like the Kindle?
- Is because you like having a real book in your hand?
- Isn’t it so much more convenient?
- Is it because the prices of e-books aren’t significantly cheaper than the paper versions? (this is a biggie for me)
- What about the environment? Isn’t this a good argument for buying a Kindle? Don’t most people just give away their books after reading them? (not me, but a lot of people do)
Ramble away in the comments section, I want to measure the pulse of the readership on this one!
February 16th, 2010 at 10:36 am
2 things for me -
1) I usually buy books used, so the e-book cost is too high.
2) I don’t want to “read” a book on a screen after looking at a computer all day.
That’s not even getting into the fact this device could one day break and need to be replaced. Books don’t break.
February 16th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
1) I like books and I like to put them in my library when I am done reading them. I feel like I develop some sort of relationship with the book which I cannot see happening with an e-version of the same book.
2) I like to read on planes, but quite often I sleep when we are in the air. So, the only time I can read is on the ground and during take-off and landing, when all electronic devices have to be shut off. I would hate to taxi o wait for take-off for an hour and not be able to read since my literature is on an electronic reader.
February 16th, 2010 at 10:06 pm
I love books. I love the weight of them in my hands, I love the feel of the paper. I read as many books as I can from the library and only buy what they don’t have (although I do buy signed first editions from writers I admire. (after reading the book from the library first).
I read blogs and newsletters on the internet but have NO desire to read books electronically. I’m not sure if it would be good for your eyes either, as after I’ve been on the computer for four or five hours, my eyes need a good long rest.
February 17th, 2010 at 6:24 am
Great points, especially about airplane reading. I never thought of that. I too love to have my books on a bookcase, but so many of the books I read are taken out of the library (another case against the Kindle) and I don’t like enough to buy and have in my apartment, so in that sense they are “disposable.”
I wonder if there is an environmental case to be made with all the paper going towards the books vs. the Kindle.
And I agree on price…it needs to come WAY down for this to be appealing. And I mean the books themselves, not the unit.
February 17th, 2010 at 6:32 am
Dough Roller has left some great comments on my Facebook page about this. He too is a fellow book lover:
I use the Kindle on the subway. Since I stand a lot and have to hold on with one hand, reading a book is almost impossible. With the Kindle, it’s easy to use with just one hand. Absolutely no eye strain because the Kindle is not backlit. But what is really great is ordering a book wirelessly and having it available to read in minutes. I’m a book lover with a good size library at home, but wouldn’t give up my Kindle for anything.
February 19th, 2010 at 9:39 am
My reasons have already stated above, but they are:
- Reading an entire book on an electronic screen after staring at a computer screen all day is not appealing.
- Between used book stores, PaperBackSwap, the library, and even Amazon, Kindle would not be a much cheaper option, if even that.
February 19th, 2010 at 10:01 pm
I was given a Kindle for Christmas… I didn’t ask for it, it was a random gift that I wasn’t expecting or knew I wanted. I LOVE my books and would never trade that experience entirely. I also love to share books and I think ultimately I will miss the ability to ‘give’ books away once I have finished reading.
But…. With all that said:
I love my kindle. I love the immediate access of randomness of searching and downloading immediately.
I like the size and convenience of it always being in my purse at any given moment. since I read multiple books at a time (short attention span theater)…. I like that I can keep as many as I need.
I don’t think it will replace books… and I think as soon as the iPad shows up it will be dated. (or is that a topic for a different day?)
February 20th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
CJE: That’s fascinating….you could care less but once you got one you love it….this bodes well for Amazon in my opinion…