One project I have been working on recently is a study on the evolution of electronic books (e-books) leading up to Amazon’s Kindle Electronic Reading Device. The study focuses on the Kindle as the most successful digital electronic book reader to date (an estimated 500,000 sold of version 1 – more than any single e-book reading device to date). This product represents the evolution of the e-book readers before it. The study will examine how the technology has evolved and where it may go in the future. To see where the product can go from here we have to understand who is using the product. We need more information about who uses the Kindle.
To gauge who is using the Kindle and what these users like and dislike about the product I have created a survey. I do not want to divulge any more on my project, so as not to influence any potential respondents to the survey. If you are a Kindle user and would like to participate please click here to take survey.
This sounds great and I can't wait to hear more about it. Good luck.
Stephen Peters
15 Apr 09 at 5:31 pm
I'm not a Kindle user, but thinking maybe I should be!
Paul Hutchings
28 Apr 09 at 9:49 am
@ Paul … that's kind of funny about your website name. How did you come up with that? Maybe you can sue Amazon. There's actually some qualitative research out there on the Kindle, most notably at Texas A&M – but that focuses on the Kindle 1. While my survey is small it is the first, that I was able to find anyway, of a quantitative look at the Kindle (focusing more on demographics of users and likes and dislikes). I'll be posting the results here, probably sometime next week.
Zack
28 Apr 09 at 1:58 pm
@ Zack…well, we were here first but I'm not going to sue Amazon. I think it is up to us to turn it to our advantage. My main beef is that I don't like it very much and I don't think it will be more than a niche product for a techie minority. It is easy to get carried away with the womder of it when talking to the 'internet-engaged', most people are confused, overwhelmed, overloaded and book readers love paper. I'm sure you'll find your users will say they like it.
Paul Hutchings
29 Apr 09 at 10:07 am
Paul, Interestingly enough, the survey (of about 450 Kindle users) indicates the opposite. While the users do have significant computer experience, they fit less into the "techie early adapter" camp than with the book lover camp. The users are voracious readers, reading over a book a week. Also, the survey found that 69% of readers were over the age of 40, and 45% were over 50 … which would not necessarily be indicative of the young, technologically engaged generation.
Not only that, but the readers/users were overwhelmingly satisfied with the readability and comfort of the product. To me, this says that, while right now the price designates it as a niche product, if they can sort out some DRM and proprietary format issues an e-book reading device (be it the Kindle or something new) has a future with readers beyond the gadget class.
All this being said, with color e-Ink technology progressing as quickly as it is, I could easily see Amazon replacing/upgrading the Kindle in the near future, rendering the current product useless. There was a call among those surveyed for a colored product with higher graphics, but the numbers weren't as high as I thought they would be. So as far as the current product being worth the investment, I'm not so sure most people would see the return unless they are very heavy readers, though I do expect sales to stay significantly high, and even increase throughout this year.
Sheesh, I should have just made this a post.
PS I was just joking about suing Amazon, haha
Zack
29 Apr 09 at 10:27 am
I'm not sure it indicates the opposite.
It is a frequent misconception that the internet savvy are all trendy young things. While that tends to be the case, techies do extend well into the older generations. Having said that, I'm still a little surprised that as many as 45% are over 50. The key may well lie in disposable income. As you say, the price makes it a niche product and the empty nesters often find themselves with rather more cash to spend on toys and holidays once they've managed to move the kids out.
As I expected, you have satisfied users. And you'd expect people who spend $350 on a reading device to be voracious readers, wouldn't you?
I'm not convinced it is going to move out of the gadget class. Talk to people about their laptop, digital camera, mobile phone, PDA, iPod, etc all the chargers, UIs, complexities and they need a lot of convincing to buy another one. And not sure the iphone UI is going to be good enough for a novel.
As for colour and graphics, well I guess the fast deteriorating magazine and newspaper sectors are more interested in that. Seems to me there is an opportunity there for micropayments or maybe even bringing the cost of the device down…
Hmm, maybe I should have posted this as well
Paul Hutchings
29 Apr 09 at 1:20 pm