I actually wasted the time reading the whole article and comments.
Over all, it was as I expected - a very poorly reasoned and badly structured argument. For one, as even a few of the comments pointed out Kindle sold more in its first year than iPod. But the most egregious point is the staggering self-involvement that is unbecoming anyone who aspires to be an essayist. The problems in the author's limited little gadgeteer world view actually represent his own blindness to the real strength of the Kindle.
Traditionally, technological sales depend upon the a relatively tiny community of techie, gadget loving early adopters (I know having been one of those folks for many years) in their early years until they expand out into the broader community/market. Being probably substantially older than the author and very much a techie sort, I've witnessed this repeated over past decades. Companies have been catering to these folks for a while now, early on their product's releases, in hopes of getting that start and word of mouth to carry them on to reach their real goal of the larger non-techie market.
What is unique about the Kindle is that many of the early adopter aren't of that mold. They are the mainstream market that most new gadget don't see for several years after being mostly limited to the techie and gadget fans. I have seen this in the multiple on-line discussions and with many of the people in the real world who I'm met and talked to who have them. This is unlike the earlier history of lot of tech devices. Kindle is appearing to be the first gadget in a long while to have a substantial pool of early adopters who aren't the stereotypical geeks who are often the sole base of early adopters.
Instead it is also drawing strongly on older folks, families, women, etc. (everything the stereotypical gadget geek is not.) I suspect this is the problem some of these folks have subconsciously. It's limiting their own power and influence in tech. It's also not designed to their own narrow views of technology and is succeeding despite that - leaving some of them whining and pouting like petulant children when they aren't the center of attention.
My own .02
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Listening to:
Monks Of The Abbey Of Notre Dame - Sanctam Et Immaculata
via
FoxyTunes
