Re:Amazon's near-$500 price tag kills Kindle DX buzz
by chaosmachine on Wednesday May 06, 2009 @01:03PM
(#596155)
The new Kindle can read PDF files. Just like the iPod did for songs, suddenly you can have any book for free, if you're willing infringe copyright. That's a big selling point in the student market (there are a number of textbook-dedicated torrent sites). Imagine, $500 for a semester's worth of books, or $500 for a kindle and copy the books from your friend.
Re:Amazon's near-$500 price tag kills Kindle DX buzz
by ilamont on Wednesday May 06, 2009 @01:36PM
(#596259)
But notebooks can already read PDFs -- and they let students take notes. Why get a second $500 device that can only do one of these functions?
Re:Amazon's near-$500 price tag kills Kindle DX buzz
by unexpected on Wednesday May 06, 2009 @01:48PM
(#596295)
I mean, couldn't you argue that your notebook could already play MP3's, why get an iPod?
It's the e-ink, the portability, the battery life, the weight of the device.
Everyone I know that has a Kindle loves it.
Re:Amazon's near-$500 price tag kills Kindle DX buzz
by ilamont on Wednesday May 06, 2009 @02:38PM
(#596434)
Because laptops don't fit in your pocket.
I am sure that Kindle owners love the devices, for the reasons that you stated. The problem I have is the price. Students and newspaper readers will have a tough time justifying a $500 purchase, especially in this economy.
Re:Amazon's near-$500 price tag kills Kindle DX buzz
by preview on Wednesday May 06, 2009 @01:49PM
(#596300)
For reading PDFs, the key differentiator is battery life. Also, the aspect ratio of the display on the Kindle is better for reading a document. If the laptop is always plugged in, then the battery life argument goes away. But, reading a document formatted for 8.5 x 11 on a wide screen display is not the ideal experience.
I would also dispute the effectiveness of taking notes on a laptop. As soon as you want to write anything other than text (e.g. diagram or equation), you'll slow to a crawl. (At least, I would slow to a crawl.)
I agree that $500 is a steep up front investment given the similarity in price point to a low end laptop.
Re:Amazon's near-$500 price tag kills Kindle DX buzz
by yan on Wednesday May 06, 2009 @01:48PM
(#596294)
Because the difference in readability between an e-ink screen and an LCD is absurd. Yes, technically you can read PDFs on a netbook/laptop, but once you pass 20 minutes of reading, you start wishing you had a paper copy.
Re:Amazon's near-$500 price tag kills Kindle DX buzz
by Radix on Wednesday May 06, 2009 @01:59PM
(#596321)
I wish Wacom had more competition and that touchscreen laptops were cheaper. I believe a lot could be done with them if they could be brought down to the general consumer's price level.
I would rather spend $350-$400 more on a touchscreen for a new laptop.
If you were a student (or if you are a student) would you buy a $500 Kindle to read textbooks, plus a lot more to download digital versions of the texts? Unless there's a slam-dunk cost benefit that students can see, I don't think this is going to make a huge impact on the textbook market at this price point.
As for magazines and newspapers, I don't think most people can justify a $500 expense to read magazines and papers that they can get for much cheaper in print or free on the Web. I subscribe to the WSJ for $90 a year and read the NYT for free on my iPod Touch and Web browser. Even if the NYT started charging $50 for the Touch and Web versions, it would still be just a fraction of the investment required for reading it on the Kindle.