I've Seen The New Kindle (And It's An iPhone)

For months now I've been on the fence regarding the Amazon Kindle. The ease of downloading a book from Amazon in seconds, as well as the easy to read screen, have almost pushed me into the purchase camp. But I've held off because the design of the Kindle has all the grace and originality of a Glenn Frey guitar solo.

So I decided to wait for Kindle Version 2.0. Well, it's here -- and it's the iPhone 2.0.

Since the release of the new iPhone software I've been downloading lots of apps for the new phone. These new apps, more than the 3G, are what I believe is driving the huge sales of the new phone.

One of the new iApps is an ebook reader called Stanza. It will allow you to open and read pretty much any format of ebook, and it will sync with the ebooks already on your Mac (not Windows though; haven't you switched yet?). Stanza provides a surprisingly fluid and ergonomically pleasing reading experience on my iPhone. I've quickly gotten used to sitting in an airport reading a book on my iPhone. I know, I'm a geek.

What makes this interesting is the hint of a "platform transition" given during Apple's earnings conference today. I believe this next platform is going to be a new tablet computer, probably 3-4 times the size of the current iPhone. Remember the Newton? It's coming back.

Steve Jobs has criticized the Kindle, saying no one wants to read ebooks. He's right, in that the killer "platform" has yet arrived on which to do so. But it's coming in the form of Apple's tablet, which will have just about the perfect form factor for reading books. Throw in a glorious screen, and the ability to download books from Apple, and you can throw out your Kindle.

Comments

[PlanetKansas]

HuffPost's Pick

One thing a book has over the Kindle or an IPhone is that it has a shelf life of over 2 years, is biodegradable, won't get snatched from my hands on a subway, and can be carried onto any airplane without scrutiny, wires, plugs and carrybags.

I just bought a Cormac McCarthy paperback, and will pass it onto my son, who will in turn, pass it on. As a result, my $15 will entertain several people down the line for a one-time cost. I can read it for free from my library and recommending the book!

A Kindle, unless loaned to someone else, cannot be shared, and so every user must pay the vender every time they read. Paying to read now joins paying to drink bottled water and paying by the minute to talk on cell phones. These are business models that now sell us things we can still get for free, yet we can only rent the service and never own it.

Our consumer culture depends on owning the latest and greatest gadgets, yet the shelflife is short and the cycle will be repeated again with the next IPhone in 12 months. Our consumption's impact on the environment is huge, we are left as spiritually vacant as we were before.

[jjackson]

I can do one thing on the Kindle that I have never been able to do with any other e-book reader - I can read books on it. There is no eye strain at all.

[Tim Berry - Huffpost Blogger]

Oh dear ... now my iPhone is cannibalizing my Kindle. It's bad enough to be a gadget lover early adapter and all, but now the one is making the other obsolete. That's bad for my rationalizations when I get the latest and greatest. Say it isn't so!