Reasons Oprah Loves the Amazon Kindle
Find Out Why the Kindle is Oprah's Favorite Gadget Ever
Dec 9, 2008
On October 24th, Oprah proclaimed that the Amazon Kindle E-Book reader was her favorite gadget ever. In less than a week the Kindle went from 'In Stock' status to a 3-4 week backorder. Shortly the wait time ballooned to 11-13 weeks, meaning you won't get your reader until February. Why has one electronic gadget caused such a stir? The Kindle is one of a few E-Book readers that look to be succeeding in the marketplace.
Amazon Debuts the Kindle
In November 2007, Amazon.com launched a revolutionary device that would allow you to read books on something called Electronic Paper. This new technology looks very close to paper and is easy on the eyes. What sets the Kindle apart from other readers is the inclusion of Amazon Whispernet, which is a fancy name for cellular data capability. In essence, it allows the user to purchase books on the device in less than a minute.
Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos told Fortune Brainstorm conference organizer David Kirkpatric "I don't know why anyone would wait five minutes for a book. Our vision for Kindle is we want to have every book in print or out of print, all available in less than 60 seconds. The medium time to download a book [on the Kindle] is 23 seconds."
Why Oprah Loves the Kindle
During Oprah's show endorsing the Kindle, she reviewed all the reasons she loves the Kindle. These are some of the major reasons for the success of the device:
- The Kindle does not require a computer. Thanks to the Whispernet technology, all content can be managed right on the Kindle itself.
- The Kindle's onboard memory holds over 200 books and can be expanded to hold thousands more with a simple SD memory card found in many stores for cheap.
- Book purchases are fast and easy. Oprah recounted a story where she was able to buy a book in the time it took for her plane to taxi onto the runway to before takeoff.
These are major selling points for the Kindle. Another important factor that is not widely known is that the Kindle is compatible with both PC's and Mac's. The Kindle's current competitor, the Sony E-Reader doesn't work with Mac's. This can be a deal-breaker for people looking into the device.
Amazon's Goal: Beat the Book
One unspoken plus for the Kindle is that it has the backing of Amazon.com. Amazon has grown from a small website that sold just books into a store to get almost anything you need. The stability of Amazon makes purchasing such a device easier, knowing they are not going out of business any time soon. While the book can never be replaced, Amazon has attempted to create a viable alternative.
In conversation with Yahoo, Bezos went on to say:
"Once you use Kindle for a while, you realize physical books aren't as convenient as you once might have thought they were. Consider when you lay in bed at night reading. My wife is always hopeful I'm going to read my Kindle and not something on physical paper because it doesn't make any sound when you turn the pages. You can read Kindle with one hand. I can't read a book with one hand. You can get a new book in less than 60 seconds with Kindle, which I can't do with a physical book. If I come across a word whose meaning I don't understand, I can right there on my Kindle look up the meaning. Once you get accustomed to Kindle, it's awfully hard to go back."
Judging by the current backorder for the Kindle, it seems that Amazon may have a hit on its hands.
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