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Posted on October 20, 2009 | tags

 
 

Tech: We’re calling it: The Amazon Kindle had a good run, but it’s done.

The Kindle's death knell

Posted by Ernie Smith • Permalink


 
  • http://lifeisathrill.com mrshl

    The best mistake they made was trying to emulate the closed iTunes platform. That ensured another clear path for competitors: openness.

  • micahp

    I’m interested in why you think it’s going the way of the dodo. It’s currently the market leader, and-outside of the Nook-there’s no real serious competition out there (Sony’s reader is just too damn expensive). Great looking post, btw.

  • http://shortformblog.com shortformblog

    Here’s how I think of it: Creative was the market leader until Apple came along with the iPod. Creative’s products were good, but they left enough to be desired that someone could come in and steal the market from them.

    And beyond the Nook, there’s at least three other e-Readers coming down the pipe that are significantly better than the Kindle in every way. And that’s not even counting tablets, which offer a whole different bag of competitive worms entirely.

    If Amazon wanted to own this market long-term, their product needed to be better than the Kindle honestly is.

  • micahp

    The first Kindle was admittedly a Beta release, with the second being the first “Ready for primetime” release. Agreed, it leaves a lot to be desired, which is why I haven’t bought one yet. The Nook looks interesting. I haven’t heard of the others, but I don’t see myself buying an e-reader that isn’t tied to a major bookseller.

  • http://shortformblog.com shortformblog

    The interesting thing about B&N is that they’re using an “open” book-selling format which allows for e-Readers outside of the bookseller ecosystem to sell books. Which means that, even if you’re not Amazon or Barnes & Noble (or Borders, let’s not forget about them), you still have something to sell.

  • micahp

    I’m interested in why you think it’s going the way of the dodo. It’s currently the market leader, and-outside of the Nook-there’s no real serious competition out there (Sony’s reader is just too damn expensive). Great looking post, btw.

  • http://shortformblog.com shortformblog

    Here’s how I think of it: Creative was the market leader until Apple came along with the iPod. Creative’s products were good, but they left enough to be desired that someone could come in and steal the market from them.

    And beyond the Nook, there’s at least three other e-Readers coming down the pipe that are significantly better than the Kindle in every way. And that’s not even counting tablets, which offer a whole different bag of competitive worms entirely.

    If Amazon wanted to own this market long-term, their product needed to be better than the Kindle honestly is.

  • micahp

    The first Kindle was admittedly a Beta release, with the second being the first “Ready for primetime” release. Agreed, it leaves a lot to be desired, which is why I haven’t bought one yet. The Nook looks interesting. I haven’t heard of the others, but I don’t see myself buying an e-reader that isn’t tied to a major bookseller.

  • http://shortformblog.com shortformblog

    The interesting thing about B&N is that they’re using an “open” book-selling format which allows for e-Readers outside of the bookseller ecosystem to sell books. Which means that, even if you’re not Amazon or Barnes & Noble (or Borders, let’s not forget about them), you still have something to sell.

  • Pingback: Amazon has record-breaking holiday season | ShortFormBlog

 

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