Guidewire Group

Depending on whom you ask, the Kindle represents either a great leap forward in technology innovation or the death knell for literature as we know it. Moving the world’s great books onto a 4×6 screen offends the sensibilities of many traditionalists. But there is no denying that the time for e-readers has arrived; the devices are selling too well and gaining too many avid fans to turn back now.

As some of you may recall, there was a frenzied period several weeks ago when all my tweets and updates centered around the Kindle. A Guidewire client commissioned a usability study of the Amazon-produced e-reader and I was more than happy to oblige. I’m an avid reader and anxiously awaited the delivery from Amazon that I was sure would change my reading life. (You can probably sense where this is headed.)

It didn’t take me long to discover that I would not be adding the Kindle to my Christmas list this year. Why? It’s just not ready for mass consumption. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a nifty device. But when I give it the good old suburban-mom test, it simply doesn’t pass muster. The experience of reading on one is too limited and too foreign to replace paper books. Having said that, I don’t think we’re very far from mass adoption; upcoming e-readers from rival companies, as well as new Kindle iterations from Amazon, are sure to broaden the audience.

In reviewing the device, I came at it from an interesting intersection – that of a heavy reader, book collector and emerging tech analyst. And the device missed the mark at least half the time from each perspective. Though I was impressed with the overall hardware design, the Kindle comes up short on user interface. The areas Kindle gets right include the weight and slender feel, battery life, and menu navigation. Where the device falls short is an astonishingly slow wireless connection, even slower reaction time from the “mouse,” or five-way controller, a tiny keyboard, and a screen flash with each page turn that is difficult to get used to. In short, it felt great in my hands but disappointed with actual interaction.

It’s also worth mentioning the price. Though Amazon cut $40 off the price yesterday, you’re still shelling out $260 for a Kindle – a lot to ask of mainstream buyers especially when you add on the subsequent content purchases. (Also note the comment from Om Malik in the previous link, that his device sits gathering dust most of the time.) And those content purchases can add up. Though the $9.99 average price for a book is competitive with traditional books, the pricing for newspapers, magazines, and blogs baffles me. Newspapers are reasonably competitive at $9-$15 per month but the reader is sacrificing a significant user experience – paging through sections of a paper on that tiny screen frustrates quickly. Magazines can run as much as five times more on the Kindle and blogs are around $1 per month – a minimal cost to be sure but why would anyone pay for content that is normally accessed for free?

So was there anything I liked about the Kindle? Downloading content is one area in which it shines; it is effortless and fast. Each title features a free sample, so you can read a few pages before deciding to purchase. Though the wireless connection is slow (and I mean sloooow) when navigating through the store, it is quite fast when downloading content. Each item I purchased was downloaded and ready to read in mere seconds. I also love the ability to carry “stacks” of books around with me in one small device. But unfortunately, that’s about it.

Judging from a survey we conducted, I am in the minority. Over half of our respondents are satisfied with their Kindle, with 30% very satisfied, 15% neutral, and none dissatisfied. Sixty-nine percent of respondents would “absolutely” purchase another Kindle or recommend it to a friend. Once you drill deeper into their anecdotal feedback, you do see many of the same issues I cited above. One former Adobe employee who worked on its eBook technology felt the Kindle was “too clunky” and echoed my findings almost verbatim: “Lots of things I’d love to see in the product that would change the way I read. They’re just not there yet.”

Before I conclude, I have to address the screen flash. It may strike you as nit-picky, but it’s an aspect I never grew used to and that eventually drove me batty. Each page “turn” involves a jarring screen flash, where the light-toned screen flashes dark for several seconds. The user guide states that this flash is necessary, even inherent, in the patented “e-ink” technology. But it only served to yank me out of the story and remind me that I wasn’t reading a traditional book. More than any other aspect of the Kindle, I can see the screen flash being a deterrent to traditionalists.

The world is very ready for an electronic reader device – so ready that they’re willing to accept multiple shortcomings in order to experience one.  Amazon does not release sales figures and analysts disagree widely when it comes to estimates. There is a general consensus, however, that by the end of 2009, around 500,000 Kindles will have been sold. And in May 2009, Jeff Bezos stated that Kindle sales now account for 35% of book sales when Kindle versions are available. These two factors combined indicate that the Kindle has seen strong early acceptance, especially for such a new form factor, and that Kindle users are rewarding the concept with more purchases.

Amazon has been lucky with little competition in e-readers but that window is rapidly closing. Several recent entries from major players will hopefully force Amazon to up its game and the holiday season is going to bring several more. I’m particularly excited about the Asus dual-screen reader. The Kindle is a great idea. Now make the reality match the promise.