Amazon's Kindle Comparable to a Hardcover?

Nov 19, 2007

Bezos loves Kindle Morgan Webb made a comparison between Amazon’s new Kindle eBook reader and a hardcover book. Though she was simply trying to liken the Kindle to the nearest priced physical book product, this is a false comparison. Someone buying a hardcover book is looking for something more than just the words and content of the story; they enjoy the physical representation of a fine work. A more accurate comparison for the Kindle is a regular old paperback, whose purchaser is simply looking for the cheapest representation of the book’s content. At less than $15 for the average paperback, the Kindle doesn’t look like such a good deal, since they charge $10 per book for the $400 device.