Kindle2 and the Doom of Libraries

Early in February, Amazon released the second version of its highly successful e-book reader, the Kindle 2. The first orders arrived in purchasers' mailboxes this past week.

People really liked the first model, and the new one is thinner, has better navigation, and other features people are bound to like.

A couple of comments:

1. E-books have been "an idea whose time has come" (or whose time was soon to come, or whose time was bound to come, eventually?) for a very long while. The main reason this culture shift keeps getting delayed is simple: nobody has come up with a reading device for e-books that readers like nearly as well as a book. But with the recent advent of both the Kindle and its Sony counterpart, an at least acceptable solution may at last have arrived. Sales figures are hard to get, but even the earlier version of Kindle had a long waiting list.
   
2. As someone who had never handled one of these things until yesterday (February 26), here's what I notice about the Kindle 2: it's every much as bit a sales device as it is a (surprisingly pleasant to use) e-book reader. What Amazon has succeeded brilliantly in doing is to get customers to pay, and handsomely ($359), for a device which makes it tantalizingly easy, fast, and cheap to buy and use Amazon's own inventory (currently numbering 240,000+ titles) of electronic books. Whether we end up liking reading this way or not, that's a pretty ingenious business strategy.
   
3. And what about that eye-catching "Doom of Libraries" bit in the title of this blog-entry? Not likely, at least not right now, and at least not this library.
   
   I was delighted to note that within the generic "Religion and Spirituality" category, there are over 8,000 titles available under "Christianity," and mostly at prices cheaper than the paper editions. Voila, a theological library, right? But on closer inspection, the vast majority of what's available is either popular theology and spirituality (which is fine, but not principally what we buy at Luther) or dated stuff. So at this point, with few exceptions, theology-via-Kindle is mostly shaped by what Amazon can digitize outside of copyright or with a good shot at the mass-market.
   
   There is no reason not to wish Amazon well, but for now what they are doing and what libraries like ours are doing are complementary, not in competition. And because we care not only about collections but about providing the best access possible, the birth of Kindle 2 is good news, not bad.

   DRS

Comments

[John McCall]

Amazon is set to disable the speech to text function its new Kindle 2 ebook reader.
Amazon will probably not sell as many units since it has announced its intention to disable the speech to text function its new Kindle 2 ebook reader.
Isn't this is a bad move on their part..
Publishers and writers can disable Kindle 2's read aloud feature.
Whats up with that?
www.net-ebooks.com
www.ebooks-downloads.com

[John McCall]

Amazon is set to disable the speech to text function its new Kindle 2 ebook reader.
Amazon will probably not sell as many units since it has announced its intention to disable the speech to text function its new Kindle 2 ebook reader.
Isn't this is a bad move on their part..
Publishers and writers can disable Kindle 2's read aloud feature.
Whats up with that?
www.net-ebooks.com
www.ebooks-downloads.com

[Japanese words]

I haven't had the chance to use a kindle, but I don't know if it will have the pull they are hoping for. At least not at that price. They have recently made a version for the itouch, but it is kind of a small screen and I don't prefer to read on it.

Wen it comes down to it, I still prefer the real thing.

[Cute Easy Hairstyles]

I do read better on a real book rather than an e-book. But I see some advantages of e-books too. I happen to move around a lot, so it is easier for me not to have a couple of box filled with books that are really heavy. And e-books are usually cheaper than real books. But I don't think libraries are gonna have problems with those new technologies because I love to take a look at many different kinds of book for free, and most importantly I love the atmosphere of libraries!! It is quiet and so relaxing. Perfect for reading a book and being in your own world. We do not want to lose that for sure!!

[fortune 500]

Nice writing. You are on my RSS reader now so I can read more from you down the road.

Allen Taylor

[Inventory Management Software]

Great article here..
thanks for sharing..

Cheers,
Inventory Management Software

[Reggae Joe]

I think the kindle will be the future all librays should transfer all books into a digital format. That way it is protected and everyone can enjoy it.

[Seo Las Vegas]

Sounds interesting. I will check on that. Thanks!

[Prevent Acne]

I actually really think that the Kindle is a great idea, have yet to meet anybody who owns one though...

[replica handbags]

This is a great write up. I bought a Kindle when it first launched and I have to say being able to get any book I want on demand like this is really terrific.

[kamagra]

Kindle 2 is surely going to be a big blow to libraries. I use mine and can't say that I've had the need to visit the library since, although sometimes the physical book is a bit nicer to have around!

[Handmade Soap]

The Kindle will not replace libraries in my opinion - at least not until it has some more abilities. As an example I would never read a 500 page novel on my Kindle unless I was really hard up.

[Arizona Real Estate]

I agree with the above poster. Reading a book on Kindle really doesn't appeal to me. I prefer a more personal touch with the actual book in my hand!

[faroairporttransfers]

kindle can be usefull but what about the feeling of reading a real book, but then again we are saving the planet.

[Free Samples]

I've heard a lot of good things about Kindle. I wouldn't mind trying it out.

[Free Hotel Coupons]

Kindle 2 will be awesome. I think Opra is one of the marketers for it.

[jack]

Kindle rocks but librarys will always be around.

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