Reading is like eating vegetables. You know it’s healthy for you, but it’s difficult to make a habit. Like vegetables, reading is a SUPERPOWER.
And there’s only one company that delivers fresh vegetables and books with a few simple clicks — Amazon.
Let’s dig into how to make the already great Kindle even better.
First, let’s align on some key questions:
1. What is Kindle’s mission?
2. Why don’t I read on my Kindle?
3. How reading on Kindle can be insanely great?
1. What is Kindle’s mission?
Kindle was introduced on November 19, 2007 with the idea of ‘getting out of the reader’s way’.
It was great for it’s time then, and even more so now. While I know many people who prefer to read physical books, you simply cannot beat Kindle on convenience.
With Kindle, you can:
— Browse and buy millions of books (Amazon)
— Read instantly (1-click download)
— Read for a long time without eye strain (e-ink screen)
— Hold thousands of books (hard drive)
— Read for weeks and weeks (long battery)
— Read at night (light-up display)
All on one simple, lightweight device.
Kindle’s mission is to get out of the reader’s way.
I love Kindle because it’s built for the sole purpose of reading. But the last ten books I read were physical books.
Why?
2. Why don’t I read on my Kindle?
Given Kindle is so great, why do I largely read physical books?
Simply because I want romance versus using another device. There’s an intimate tactical experience when you hold and read a book that’s not there with Kindle. I value that tactical experience as I’m carrying my bulky, heavy book around that can’t look up words or be read at night.
Does that mean the Kindle product team should chase a hologram projection onto a real physical book?
My raw impression is no because there’s probably not many people like me who prefers reading on books over the Kindle that’s willing to pay for a new holographic device. But that first impression is like everything else: transient with good evidence and discussion.
But aside from chasing revolutionary hardware innovations, there’s still evolutionary innovations we can chase. In other words, the reading experience on the Kindle now can be improved substantially.
Remember, it’s Kindle’s mission to get our of the reader’s way.
Here’s how.
3. How reading on Kindle can be insanely great?
I’ll propose three ways for today’s Kindle to be even better.
Not comfortable to hold
The base $49 Kindle is not ergonomical to my hands. While it’s lightweight to hold in one hand, it’s not a pleasant experience. I don’t have a steady, comfortable grip. Instead I have to shuffle my holding positions.
Holding the Kindle is getting in my way of reading.
Dear Kindle product team: cheap, slick plastic sucks to hold. Let’s explore different materials, designs, and weights. Can we try a matte body (better feel) with a small recess in the back (better one-handed grip), and make it heavier (sits better in the hand)? Does that create a better grip and therefore a better reading experience?
The screen sucks
The clarity of text on the screen is not the big problem. But let’s improve clarity because it will improve the reading experience. The screen has been sitting at 300 pixels per inch for years now. We need to make it razor sharp.
The real problem with the screen is the touch. It sucks. Opening books can be faster. Turning pages can be smoother. Taking notes can be night and day better.
Reading a mute, unresponsive screen is getting in my way of reading.
Dear Kindle product team: what’s stopping innovations on both screen clarity and touch inputs? Who owns that technology and why hasn’t it been improving? We’re adding other cool hardware improvements: auto-adjustable glow light for the screen and making Kindle waterproof. Let’s push innovation on the screen technology. I want touch inputs to be sharp and precise.
Kindle is slow
4 seconds to turn on the Kindle.
3 seconds to open a book.
1.5 seconds to turn a page.
10 seconds to close one book and open another.
Slowness is getting in my way of reading.
Dear Kindle product team: Kindle isn’t meant to be blazing fast but it needs to be snapper than it is now. Do we upgrade the hardware inside: faster chip or more memory? Do we upgrade the software: new update to make it faster? Is there a difference between e-reader innards and tablet innards? Let’s make it fast enough to matter.
Sum up
Will these improvements for a more comfortable grip, better screen, and a snappy interface be enough to move physical book readers onto the Kindle? Maybe.
But to grow the number of new Kindle users, we need to retain our current Kindle users. To retain them, we need to make sure to continue innovating to achieve the best reading experience anywhere on Earth. To create the best reading experience on Earth, we need to get out of the reader’s way.
Kindle is already a great device. Let’s close the gaps to make it insanely great.
To Kindle.
