Amazon Releases Kindle eBook Reader - First Take

Michael Gartenberg | November 19, 2007, 01:24 PM

I spent this morning at the Amazon event and have spent some time playing with the device and it's pretty impressive. Amazon differs from efforts that have come before in several ways.

1. Ubiquity - There's no PC required. The ability to access content from anywhere is important and the fact that there's no PC involved makes the process a lot easier to use. No issues about Mac OS, Windows or Linux either.

2. Price - eBook pricing has been way too high (let's face it, what's the difference between a "hardcover" eBook or a "paperback" one?). Amazon is no doubt subsidizing costs here but the notion of $9.99 best seller appeals to me (and will likely appeal to anyone else who reads a lot).

3. Search - You'd think this was a no brainer but it's not. The ability to find what I'm looking for is super important.

Bottom line, Amazon has a real chance to take eBooks where they haven't gone before. Out of the enthusiast market and into mainstream audiences. First devices will likely appeal mostly to road warriors who like to read and hate to carry paper. As prices come down, we'll see more mass market adoption (and of course, all sorts of subsidy models are possible, like a book of the month club that nets you the device for free with a commitment to buy X titles a year).

I'll be carrying one with me for a bit and will be reporting the overall experience here.