NEW MEDIA: Amazon’s Kindle

Just took another look at the Kindle reader and I suppose that if I had a lot of extra money, I might go for it.  But then again, my naturally frugal nature would still likely balk at the economics of it.

At $400 for the unit, and $10 per book (for most fiction) versus about $12 per book for paperbacks, that’s a $2 difference per book so that means I’d have to read 200 books before it became cost effective.  Let’s cut that in half, seeing that some books may cost more and shipping charges might apply.  But even 100 books is quite a bit.

But that’s not what stops me.  Nor is the fact that I’m limited to what Amazon chooses to make available in its offering not only of literature, but of what news magazines and specific blogs they’ll grant me free updated access to read.  This part doesn’t matter because let’s keep to the specifics and not compare apples to oranges.  After all, no paperback offers this either.

But if the Kindle were a bit cheaper, AND if the books which after all you can not stack back on the shelf later (I wonder if you could store them on a hard drive–have to check again), then it’s like leasing a car.  The payments are the same, but there’s no physical car left at the end of the term.

I like the travel light idea and having several books available at the same time, but it’s still too much money to lay out for what it offers.  At least I think so–though I would like to see one for myself.