Despite its $399 price-tag, Amazon’s Kindle is so popular that it is already out of stock.
Amazon’s Kindle aspires to become the iPod of e-book viewers. Here’s what appeals to me about the Kindle:
- Storage Capacity: The Kindle can hold up to 200 books. My bookshelves are already overloaded, and I am running out of room to store new books. Also, I brought 6 books on my last vacation, which took up a lot of room in my suitcase. Just think of all the space the Kindle would free up!
- Saving Money on Books: New releases and bestselling books only cost $9.99. To save money, I generally wait until books come out in paperback or until I can find a copy at the local library. I’d love it if I could get a new release at the paperback price! No more waiting to read the coolest new books.
- Eco-friendly: You can get newspapers and magazines auto-delivered wirelessly to the device ($9.99 a month for the Wall Street Journal, $13.99 a month for the New York Times). While you can read the newspaper for free online, this is an eco-friendly way to read the newspaper on the go!
Here are my concerns about the Kindle:
- Price: At $399, the Kindle is very expensive. I might choose to wait a year for the price to go down.
- No Personal Reviews: While there are positive reviews at Amazon, I don’t know anyone who owns the Kindle yet. Before I invest so much money in a trendy device, I’d want to ask a trusted friend’s opinion or test out the device myself.
- Travel Inconvenience: I love reading at the beach or by the pool when I’m on vacation, but I’d worry about damaging the device by getting sand or water on it and about the risk it would be stolen while I was swimming. Also, I couldn’t use the Kindle on an airplane during takeoff and landing since the use of electronic devices is prohibited.
So what do you think? Is the Kindle on your Christmas wish list, or are you waiting for the price to go down?
