Amazon.com users can’t help but know what the Kindle is. “Kindle: Amazon’s Revolutionary Wireless Device,” is usually plastered on the first page of the online store. Yet at $359.00, the “revolution” hasn’t had the same impact on printed materials as the iPod had on music. The 10-ounce white e-book reader hasn’t been as visible as the white ear buds.
The Kindle’s technology is what makes it so revolutionary. The Kindle utilizes an electric paper display, which mimics the appearance of ink on paper, and doesn’t leave the impression of viewing an electric display at all. The electric paper display is key, because the main hurdle for electronic books was that the process was too taxing on the eyes and body. Reading a PDF file is quite uncomfortable, and it’d be a feat of strength to read an entire book on a laptop.
A magazine isn’t just a wall of text though. Magazines are the most visually graphic of what is printed on paper, and the transition to Kindle hasn’t been kind. While paying $1.49 for a month of Time Magazine may seem like a great deal, the lack of pictures for the Kindle version has not been received well. One reviewer on Amazon.com wrote, “Ti
me without Pictures is like the Braille edition of Playboy.”Kindle users can subscribe to a Kindle version of many popular magazines like Time, Newsweek, and the Reader’s digest. Through Kindle’s free web service "Whispernet," users are “delivered” the same day that the print edition is. However, it’s far from a magazine killer at this point.
It’s only a matter of time before it potentially is though. The Kindle will inevitably improve upon itself, and be offered at a price that’s affordable for the masses. “Sure it’s $400, but you have to believe that a $99 version with color photos will be on Amazon by Christmas 2009,” wrote publisher of DISCOVER magazine Henry Donahue on his Blog. “With the way ink and paper prices have been going, that might not be such a band thing.”
Whether a cheaper and more vibrant Kindle will ultimately kill the magazine remains to be seen. In fact, the Kindle could rather invigorate the market the way the iPod did paired with the Tunes store. And while it's doubtful that magazines will ditch the news racks and move online, it's definitely an exciting (and fearful) time for readers, writers, and all those involved in the print business.
1 comment:
This is a great blog. I remember going to Borders and seeing one of those "digital book" devices. Sometimes I feel like all this technology is too much! I think there's something comforting in holding a regular 'ol book in your hand or magazine. I find pleasure in being able to flip through a magazine, or turning pages of a great book, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. Sometimes the "old school" way should stay, so I agree, this device probably won't kill the magazine any time soon.
Post a Comment