Amazon Kindle unveiled their Kindle on the Web service today and I got to say, aren't they kind of behind on that. You have always been able to acces purchased books from the Barnes and Noble service online and basically any ebook service available to date. I guess they want to make it a social atmosphere where you can send samples of books to friends and others. I think everything is social enough, are people really going to get excited to trade ideas on what book to read next? Also, who really sits on their computer and reads a book that way? That is just uncomfortable.
I understand the usefulness of the Kindle if you want to avoid going out to the store to buy books, if you're trying to save shelf space, or if you just think it is a cool thing to have. Obviously, other ebook readers have been released and the prices have fallen substantially. Still, the books cost for the supplier is drastically cut when sold as an ebook, while the price to the consumer has not fallen much if at all. This is not acceptable! Now I am going to buy full books on my computer? That I also may be able to use on my Android mobile, Kindle, or IPad, but really how many places do I need one book, it is a book for goodness sake! It is not music that I am going to be able to listen to in my car on the way to work, or at home in the shower, it is a book. Most people I know and in history are usually reading actual books in their spare time or at night before bed, not at work or while running errands.
I have seen some comments on various sources where consumers are saying well offer the books in more places and more people will buy it. I guess this is true, but really who does not have an outlet to buy these ebooks if they really want to do so? If someone is that behind in their home technologically speaking, they are probably just fine with books. If you have a computer, but no Kindle, no Ipod, no data phone, and so on then you most likely are just fine with print books. I mean what do you expect people to do if they buy these on the computer and don't want to sit there on the computer, print them out? This is a questionable move by Amazon, and it should have happened right away instead of them sitting back and trying to increase sales of their Kindle device because I don't think those sales would have been affected. I also don't think they should try and act like this is a big deal or act like this is some big favor for the consumer. I am anxious to see if this flops or actually does become popular. If it does become popular, then people are spreading themselves real thin between Facebook and Twitter as it is, and now we need a social network for books?
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