I have to admit I was pretty skeptical of the whole e-book thing. The idea of carrying around a tablet-like device to read the morning paper just felt so 1993 to me. I just always had a hard time imagining myself curl up on a couch, relax on a beach, or ride on a train with an e-book. The hefty price tag on the original Kindle had me doubtful as well.
And let’s face it, our bookshelves say a lot about who we are. Could you imagine picking up someone’s Kindle at a party and skimming through their book collection?
Oh how wrong I was. Not only was the first Kindle very well received, but Sony followed suit with their own (sexier) model.
This past week my Twitter feed was abuzz with friends announcing that their Kindle 2 was en route, and links to very favorable reviews.
I also caught the above video from Geek Brief TV of the out of the box experience. Amazon has clearly put a lot of thought into the packaging and first time customer interaction. This is pretty impressive for a company that you don’t equate with design - and who’s product experience (website) is about as unemotive as you can get. Apple was no doubt a guiding light here - as well as on the new product design.
Don’t know if I’m ready to jump in. The price point for me feels like it’s more around $99. And yet I’m feeling the hype start to take ahold.