Kindle Forum banner

Why Kindle 2 is not an Apple product by Jim1010

20901 Views 42 Replies 30 Participants Last post by  Tip10
Kindle 2 is fun, but it would never have been made by Apple. Here are four reasons. There are many more!

1. The screen still isn't bright like paper. It looks dull and waxy, like multiply-recycled paper, or unbleached paper that can be found in some Indian and third-world books.

2. The screen savers cannot be removed. This seems to be a small point here on KindleBoard, but Apple would never let it happen. There will be people, like me, who find them generic and childish. Someone said, on another post, that they are reminiscent of the posters in Barnes and Noble. That is not praise! They are Eurocentric, clichéd, unimaginative, and above all they are not mine! Apple would have made it easier, not harder, to get rid of the screensavers.

3. Apple would have made it easy to make the top and bottom of the screen blank. That extra information can be very annoying. Why not just show it when the user presses a button? Kindle 2 is reminiscent of Microsoft Word 2008, which also forces an extra bar on users (just above the page), which cannot be removed.

4. The design is intermittently silly. The packaging reminds me of shallow trays that are sometimes used by Chinese and Thai takeways. The spills of letters that ornament the packaging, and also the manual, look like 1970s student graphic designs.

5.  Apple would have had a touch screen, like the iPhone, instead of the keyboard, which is not needed all the time -- so why show it all the time?

I'm not sad I bought the Kindle 2, but I can clearly see it will be superseded by Apple, or Google, unless it radically improves in its next incarnation.
21 - 40 of 43 Posts
Chobitz. . . don't hold back. . . tell us how you really feel :D

Seriously though. . . let's keep perspective. . . .we all have different opinions. .  I personally have no need for any sort of mp3 player. . .but lots of my very good friends do. . . o.k. for them.  They have no need for a Kindle.

I have one friend who can read books and things on his cellphone. . . .he allowed as how the kindle would be better for long reading, but he doesn't do any of that so the the phone works for him.  My phone, on the other hand, is just a phone. . .well it is technically a windows mobile device, but I pretty much use it as a phone with a pda. . .don't do any web browsing or e-mailing, though I could.  I do like that I can sync my contacts and schedule with Outlook on my main computer.

I don't think the preference is necessarily generational. . .though there may be some correlation. . . I think there's a gender correlation as well. . . I mean, most guys don't carry a purse, so maybe it's easier to just have one device for everything.  :)  Mostly I think it has to do with 'what is the most important function to me'.  If I can find a device that does that well. . .and does some other things I can use too, but don't really need, well, that's cool.  If I want my reading experience to be primo, and my listening experience to be primo, and my ability to go on line anywhere allways available. . .well, then maybe I really want 3 different devices.

I will say, I agree about backlighting. . . I wouldn't want it in the Kindle, but some don't mind that. . .and that's o.k. too. . .My comptuer screen is back lit, but there's plenty of ambient light in the room so there isn't any glare and no real eystrain. . . .I don't like it when I have to use a backlit screen in a darkened room. . . .that is really uncomfortable.  Don't like to watch TV in the dark either. :)

Ann

See less See more
I slightly modified Jim's first line. Is that acceptable??  If not, don't read the rest of my post.

Kindle 2 is fun. Here are four reasons. There are many more!

1. I can carry many books with me.
2. No styrofoam in packaging, not that packaging matters.
3. Easy to read, a variable brightness of background would be great but really this is fine.
4. Best reason of all - I like it.

Hmmm

Touch screen would be a bad move..... fingerprints everywhere blocking my reading.
Possibly a stylus but even that can mare a screen with smudges.
No... I try to never touch my screen and keep it as clean as possible.

Also the keypad at the bottom raises the screen to eye level better... especially when reading in bed.

The screen looks like a paper back novel... very easy on the eyes... not dirty paper in my opinion.

I doubt Apple would put this much care into producing a product designed solely for reading at length.

Just my opinion


*Just realized I'm defending my K Klassic in a review about K2... *sigh*.
  Oh well. I think it still applies from what I've read of K2.  ;)


See less See more
apparently Apple simply said "why make a reader when we can just make software to allow you to access Kindle matrial on our Iphone and Itouch?"  New app for the new Ipods.  You can access the kindle store and read DRM'd Amazon books on them now.  The Iphone or Itouch actually shows up in the Manage your Kindle section on the Amazon page.  Talk about riding coat-tails.
thejackylking said:
apparently Apple simply said "why make a reader when we can just make software to allow you to access Kindle matrial on our Iphone and Itouch?" New app for the new Ipods. You can access the kindle store and read DRM'd Amazon books on them now. The Iphone or Itouch actually shows up in the Manage your Kindle section on the Amazon page. Talk about riding coat-tails.
I would never want to read a book on something as small as an iPhone.
DD said:
I would never want to read a book on something as small as an iPhone.
Not the whole book at any rate.

I tried out a reader app for the iPhone before buying my Kindle, to test a) whether I would read "on the go" that much, and b) if I really even needed a Kindle if a).

I can read on the iPhone for short periods of time, but it's not fun for really settling in to a good book. I love that there's an iPhone app though, it's perfect for those "standing in line" reading opportunities.
Leslie has a good review on the 'other reviews' forum. . .I agree I wouldn't want to read a whole book, but I can see using it  to have something to do when you have just a short wait and/or your Kindle isn't with you.  And, as someone else said, the more Kindle buzz the better for all of us!

Ann
Jim1010 said:
2. The screen savers cannot be removed. This seems to be a small point here on KindleBoard, but Apple would never let it happen. There will be people, like me, who find them generic and childish. Someone said, on another post, that they are reminiscent of the posters in Barnes and Noble. That is not praise! They are Eurocentric, clichéd, unimaginative, and above all they are not mine! Apple would have made it easier, not harder, to get rid of the screensavers.
I agree that it would be nice to have a more culturally diverse selection of authors on the screensavers.
nelamvr6 said:
Here's another way you can tell it's not an Apple product:

I actually bought one. I would never consider buying any more Apple products.
I prefer to look at things more on a merit basis than who manufactures it. ;D ;D

Mike
jmiked said:
I prefer to look at things more on a merit basis than who manufactures it. ;D ;D

Mike
Me too... Hence my comment.
First off I disagree with OP......I love the Kindle and I'm glad Amazon made it and not Apple.......second I'm a young reader [23] and while it's not the "thing" for my generation to do it is by far one of my favorite past times....so once again I thank Amazon
If apple made the kindle we would need special DRM glasses for reading the text
pomlover2586 said:
First off I disagree with OP......I love the Kindle and I'm glad Amazon made it and not Apple.......second I'm a young reader [23] and while it's not the "thing" for my generation to do it is by far one of my favorite past times....so once again I thank Amazon
Totally agree with you! ;)
DD said:
I would never want to read a book on something as small as an iPhone.
same here as it gives strain in my eyes so much. A good reader for me has to be more than 5" -7" in creen for better readability.
yes, anything smaller than 9inchs doesn't really work with formating and eye movement, etc
how could anyone read from something as small as an apple?
kyliedork said:
yes, anything smaller than 9inchs doesn't really work with formating and eye movement, etc
Size DOES matter! :)
Yes, size does matter when you are a little lacking
tylerdurden51 said:
how could anyone read from something as small as an apple?
Yeah, I know. Good product but not for reading.
21 - 40 of 43 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top