Looks like the link did not work for Roy Tennants thoughts on the Kindle. So here they are, what do you think is the Kindle a dog?
"Prediction: The Kindle Goes Down in FLAMES June 9, 2008Someone at the Oxford University Press seems to think that the Amazon Kindle is selling like hotcakes. All I have to say about this is: "are you on drugs?" I know plenty of early adopters and none have confessed to having popped for something that simultaneously looks dorky and costs way more than an iPhone, which is arguably way more functional than a Kindle -- including being able to read books. I mean, come on. Are we that stupid?The Oxford University Press opinion has been picked up by none other than Tim O'Reilly, although it should be acknowledged that he has skin in the game. And we should be clear that this is opinion only. Evan Schnittman, from Oxford University Press, has made some assumptions that lead him to these conclusions. But let us not forget that he has skin in the game as well.Meanwhile, remember that I work for OCLC, which also has some sort of skin in the e-book game too. But I'm here to tell you that the Kindle is not it. It is so not it. But don't take my word for it. Ask your neighbor, ask your best friend, ask the first person you meet on the street, ask anyone at all. Do they have a Kindle? Of course not. If they do, they're probably an Amazon employee.There is definitely a future for e-books. Heck, I have even helped to build it. But am I about to drop $400 on a device that only reads books? I'm a librarian, I'm an early adopter of technology and not on your life will I do such a thing. So, are there really many more sales than Amazon is letting on about? Of course not. Amazon could only lose by hiding the fact that the Kindle is a runaway hit. The only reason they are hiding sales is because it is not. They should have paid me a small fee to tell them they had a dog on their hands. Oh well, a lost opportunity for both of us. Save yourselves, wait for something that makes more sense. "
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2 comments:
It wasn't a Kindle, but I saw an ebook in use for the first time last month in my adult Sunday school class! The teacher asked us to look up a verse, and sure enough, the first person to find it was on an ebook!
I think there are many uses for the Amazon KIndle in the library. One I would like to see is offering National and International newspapers to read to the public. Persons may purchase the current days paper usually for 75 cents and read it on the kindle.
If I was visiting from overseas for an extended period, I would love to keep in touch with events back home for less than $1.00. PMB
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