Amazon Kindle - Criticisms With Which I Disagree, Part 3

Continuing the apology for a Kindle

The books are crippled with Digital Rights Management (DRM)
DRM is annoying. I think that it ultimately does more harm than good for everyone involved. I'm not a fan and more and more people are coming to the same conclusion. So the fact that the Kindle uses DRM (file type .AZM) does not make me feel all warm inside. Given Amazon's history of providing DRM-Free content, I think that it is possible that DRM may not have been their first choice either.

However content owners, such as publishers, are still holding to the notion that DRM is somehow going to prevent (or at least slow) the theft of their intellectual property. As long as they cling to this belief, they will continue to push for DRM on their content. Honestly, I don't think there is a lot that Amazon could do to change the situation at this point.

Even with all of the millions of iPod sales, Apple only recently had the clout to move the content owners to offer some of their music in a DRM-Free format. If Apple had taken a hard stand again DRM at the launch of the first iPod, it is doubtful that they would have had nearly the number of songs available for sale. The iPod would not be the success that it is today and (ironically) we would likely not have had Apple's leadership in pressing the content owners to offer DRM-Free music.

It's important to know when to fight your battles, and this is not the time for Amazon to take a hard line on DRM with the publishers. If the Kindle were to become a runaway success like the iPod, I would encourage Amazon to use that power to move away from DRM. But that time has not yet come, and it may be a long time in the coming.

In the meantime, it is not correct to say that the Kindle only supports DRM content. It also supports many types of DRM-Free files.

It doesn't surf the web in color, play videos, etc.
That's not what the Kindle is designed to do. People desiring those features should check out tablet PCs.

Honestly, I kind of wish there were a way for them not to have included web browsing at all. The web provides a very rich interface to many types of media. The primary job of the Kindle is to mimic a book, which is far more limited. By introducing web access, they have given an inch and many people will be clamoring for a mile. I am concerned that Amazon may feel the pressure to offer a better web experience, to the detriment of the Kindle's primary purpose.

However I understand why they did it. Their competitors offer web access, so the Kindle would have seemed crippled in comparison if it did not offer the same. That jinni was already out of the bottle. I suspect that I will ultimately grow to appreciate the web features of the Kindle. I just hope that it does not become a detriment to it's primary purpose of simulating a paper book.

Amazon is charging for blogs that are available for free
I almost agreed with this one. But then I softened when I learned that Amazon is sharing subscription revenue with the blog's authors. Assuming that Amazon is operating this revenue sharing in a manner similar to the Amazon Affiliate program, this could be non-negligible alternate revenue stream for popular blogs. Which is a good thing.

However it's all still a bit fuzzy because it seems that you could visit those same blogs for free using the Kindle's web browser. So I'm not quite sure what is up with that.

It doesn't have WiFi
Heh. That's like being served a steak and asking for a hot dog on the side. Its got EVDO! I'm not going to miss having to search for WiFi hotspots. Yes, WiFi would be handy for the times that you actually do have to hook it up to a PC for some reason (like adding personal files for free). But even if WiFi were available, I'd have it switched off the vast majority of the time as it would only be a drain on the battery.

My iPod doesn't have WiFi, and I've never derided it for its absence. The Kindle's communication abilities are a massive upgrade in comparison. WiFi would be superfluous.

It's ugly, only comes in white, etc.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess. It looks fine to me... but I am under no illusions as to my sophistication in matters of style. If they want to change the next version to have rounded corners, or whatever, that's fine I guess. As long as they don't make it so flashy that it distracts from the content. In the end, I want the Kindle to disappear, so that I can disappear into the content. Too much bling would only be a distraction.

Alright! Enough of the Amazon fanboi! Next time I'll post about the criticisms that I do have for the Kindle.