In case you've been wondering why you love books, Jeff Bezos has the answer: They're so darn disappearable! "I love slipping into a comfortable chair for a long read," the Amazon founder confides on the site's front page today. "As I relax into the chair, I also relax into the author's words, stories and ideas. The physical book is so elegant that the artifact itself disappears into the background. The paper, glue, ink and stitching that make up the book vanish, and what remains is the author's world." Bezos doesn't exactly go so far as to say "the toxic paper, smelly glue, carcinogenic ink and treacherous, throat-encircling stitching," but he might as well have. In introducing Amazon's new Kindle e-book reader, Bezos essentially tosses "the artifact itself" over the side of the boat.
Credit where it's due: When a guy like Bezos puts the shiv in, you barely feel the sting. Look at the phrase The physical book is so elegant that the artifact itself disappears into the background. It's a beautiful argument, in a way: The book itself is so functionally perfect that for all practical purposes it disappears. Therefore, was it really necessary in the first place? Probably not, the thought goes: What you really want is the content, not the wrapper. With Kindle in hand, "Whether you're lying in bed or riding a train, you can think of a book, and have it in less than 60 seconds." (This represents a pretty optimistic read of the EVDO technology the thing runs on, but never mind.) I'd always wondered why books are so cumbersome to use, and now I know: It's that endless walk to the bookcase. Jesus, no wonder I'm so tired all the time! It's the books' fault!
I yield to no one in my love for new gadgets. (I've written about my Jones for early adoption here and here.) And I guess it's not impossible I may end up lusting after the Kindle, too. But there's something unattractive about Amazon's introductory strategy. Bezos is like the guy who dumps his longtime girlfriend for a younger, prettier girl, and then braces you at a party to bend your ear about how homely the ex was. (Even though you didn't ask.) "Kindle... won't get between you and your reading," Bezos says, sidling up to you in the corner by the bar and smirking in a self-satisfied way. "I think you'll also be genuinely amazed by the convenience of books in less than a minute."
Sounds... What's the word I want? "Specious," I think. But the dictionary's all the way across the room.
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"Replacing books" is a hideous idea to many if not most booklovers and automatically we'll resist the new device. In fact, the name Kindle somehow brings to mind book burning. And also burning authors' advance and royalty checks. Terrifying.
That said, I do think it would be handy to take on trips. And nice for commuters. It will find its place in the market.
You can't curl up with a "device" and you can't line up this "Kindle" in a book case so when your friends come over they won't be able to see what refined literary taste you have.
The booklover in my hates this. I just can't wrap my arms around this gadget. I love the smell of books, both old and new. The feel of the pages, the weight in my hands.
Small books are perfect to fit inside the pocket of a jacket if I am going somewhere. There is also something about a wall full of books on shelves that just gets me going.
I can spend hours in a bookstore looking at books.
At 38, I'm already an old fogey.
I too, for one, love the tactile sense of a hefty, finely-printed 'real' book in my hands, and fully-loaded bookshelves give my otherwise frumpy home a certain (albeit old-fashioned) dignity. It's just my illusion. Books will always be around, though, just appreciated on different levels.
The best arguement for this device that I can see is that, once accepted widely, it will save perhaps millions of trees, millions of tons of CO2 emissions from truck deliveries not made, and maybe the backs of those boyfriends who, hitherto, have been made to lug box after box out to the van, then back inside to the new residence, as the girlfriend, once again decides "she just wouldn't think of giving up any of her books". I speak from experience.
All in all, a good thing. And Bezo is one of those crazy guys who keeps America (just barely) ahead of the curve in that sector of the biz. world.
i've always figured bezos for one of the good guys so my oppositeworld automatic conspiracy reflex didn't come up with much
maybe jeff wants to help save life on this planet by conserving what's left of mother earth's lungs
now, if he could only come up with virtual toiletpaper
Price: Kindle books on the average about 20%-50% le$$ than the hardback.
Amazingly stingy considering amazing savings publishers and Amazon achieve by not having to print, design, warehouse, ship and buy-back printed copies.
you can't resell copy or store it outside of your Kindle.
If you run out of storage, too bad, gotta erase some of the content you purchased.
One year warranty.
The wireless is provided by Sprint, a giant minus for anyone who ever had Sprint. By the way Spring has coverage in large metro area only.
Amazon, make it $99 and I'll buy it.
Otherwise, Betamax it.
Call me old-fashioned, but I'll take a good hard-cover book with a bit of history behind it (a dented corner here, a dog-eared page there) any day.