Why I Will Never Buy A Kindle

Knowing my love of books and reading (there is a distinction), not to mention, gizmos, many friends have asked why I don't have a Kindle. My answer was always that I would at some point, just not now - I wasn't quite happy with the current form and functionality. Last week's New Yorker has an article about the Kindle that is very negative. Some of the complaints the author has ("Text is greenish grey") seem rather petty, but even after filtering those out, it crystallized my discomfort with the Kindle.

The best part of the Kindle, I have always felt, is the wireless connection that is always available and for which there is no explicit fee. This wireless connection is enabled by Qualcomm and that of course has an added appeal. In fact this model is considered so revolutionary, that it has coined a new term in the industry - "Kindlize," which is basically to add seamless wireless connectivity to a device and not have the owner pay a recurring service fee. And there are the usual pros about e-books: can have a whole library with you, reading a big book doesn't come with the challenge of holding up 4 lbs of paper, etc.

But, I dislike the Kindle - sometimes with a visceral intensity. It is in some ways a most cynical expression of locking the owner into a closed system under the pretense of freeing them from the shackles of traditional books. The Kindle uses a proprietary format for its books that can only be read on the Kindle - there is an open format, but Amazon decided against that. Until the DX, they didn't support PDF either. The books you buy for the Kindle, can only be read on your Kindle (or your iPod) - you cannot lend them out, cannot give it away, cannot donate it to a library after you are done, cannot resell it. One of the joys of books and reading for me is to share the experience - talk about the book and allow somebody else to enjoy it by loaning them the book. You cannot do that with a Kindle book. This is not just about borrowing books from your friends. Think about it - you have all your books locked in your Kindle - what is the trigger for your spouse, your kid, to pick up a book from the shelf or the nightstand and start perusing it, perhaps reading it all the way through? How often has it happened that you are at a friend's house and notice a book lying around and it piques your interest? Or maybe you notice what somebody traveling with you is reading? Recently P&V announced that they were going to get a Kindle for S. I wonder - how will little s be able to pick up and read a book that her older sister is reading? In fact, how will she even know what book is being read?

Even economists ("Freakonomics") have made a case for the value (in terms of positive impact on the kids) of just having books in the house. Where goes that value when all your books are trapped in a little plastic box that makes every book look the same?

The Kindle does many other things to destroy the reading experience, but they are common to e-books in general. Page numbers have no meaning, the physical feel and heft of the book are lost (I often picture the actual book in my head when I think about a favorite book - what happens with an e-book?), but I know these are aspects that will cease to have much importance over a period of time.

RD announced recently without an hint of irony that the new Kindle almost made him want to read a book. I do see the value in e-books and maybe there will be some future incarnation in which the pros will outweigh the cons. The Kindle is not that.