For those with a more tactile attachment to books, who lose themselves in a book store for hours, whose best loved books fall open at favourite passages and whose love of the printed page extends to the smell and feel of a new book, to the satisfaction of that gentle pop as you crack open its pages for the first time, for these people Amazon’s Kindle will never make much sense. “It’s not like you can take it with you into the bath, or curl up with it in bed,” says avid reader, Judy Stone.
But now, with an international version of Kindle coming online later this month, and Amazon sweetening the deal with a price cut of $50 (£31.4), not to mention Christmas just around the corner, perhaps Judy and her peers will take a second look at the wonders of E Ink technology.
As Kindle launches for sale in 100 countries, one thing is certain: somebody sure likes them. For every 100 printed books, 48 digital Kindle editions are bought and the Kindle eReader is Amazon’s best-selling product.
For a certain type of book-reader, Kindle makes perfect sense. Those in the military or who travel extensively with work; commuters; those with limited living space; in fact, in any circumstance where mobility, portability and compactability are key, then the Kindle is an obvious choice. After all, how else would you manage to fit the entire contents of your home library into your shoulder bag?
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As you can see in the photograph, one advantage the Kindle has over traditional ways of reading literature is portability. I wonder how many books the climber in this great photograph (offered on Flickr under a creative commons, share alike license by talented photographer Daemonv) would have had to pack to ensure enough reading material to keep him occupied during his journey to Tanzania and ascent of Kilimanjaro.
One of the add-on Kindle services is the ability to subscribe to a range of international newspapers. The digital edition is pushed to Kindle devices as the print edition hits the stands so perhaps the climber is catching up on breaking global news from his newspaper of choice (Choices include The Washington Post, The Asia edition IHT, The Financial Times, The Daily Mail, Le Monde).
One of the knee-jerk objections to take up of the Kindle is that it would be difficult to read out doors. This is in fact a false assumption, possibly born out of the frustration that users of first- and second-generation laptops felt at poor outdoor screen visibility. The award-winning E Ink technology, based on research first done at MIT Media Lab, delivers a high contrast, low-weight and low-power solution to the presentation of digital content that makes the display of text on the Kindle screen crisp and clear - perfectly legible even in full sunlight.
Kindles offer a couple of other benefits that you don’t get with a standard paperback. They are searchable - very useful for study or business -and they come with a built-in dictionary. With one click purchase and one minute delivery and over 350,000 titles to choose from, buying your next novel as a Kindle digital book is very appealing for impulse buyers.
For those who prefer to make purchases based on green technology or principles, Amazon Kindle and similar eReading technology offers an interesting dilemma. On the one hand, clearly there will be an enormous reduction in the demand for paper should the Kindle or its digital cousins become the standard reading method of the next generation. Less paper publishing means less ink and the chemical pollution which is an inevitable byproduct of the standard printing process; less transportation of the raw materials and the finished products, less packaging and so on. But, would environmental groups be justified in seeing Kindle as a truly preferable option? Possibly not. The future consumption of raw materials in the production of the Kindle and disposal of the non-biodegrable components of which it is made will bring their own environmental challenges.
Given its compactness and the design improvements made on the latest Kindle versions, Judy Stone and her friends may find the Kindle a lot more user friendly than they expect. Looking at Kindle user forums it seems there are a great many people out there who have no trouble at all curling up in bed with their Kindle. Now if only Amazon would make the next version waterproof, Judy would have no trouble reading it in her bath.
