This is not a rumor. This is a “what if?”

I had a thought today while out walking; it’s nothing more than that.

Just tying together three or four random things that all seem to point to this; I also fully realize they are most likely independent things that don’t go together or point to anything.

But — Amazon sold out of the Kindle early, and basically said “nothing until February”.

I keep thinking that eBooks are going to mainstream in the next few years, and we’re going to start seeing the death of the paper book; but the Kindle is the only device that remotely has made eBooks viable, and that mostly is because it has Amazon behind it; good technology is, well, good technology, but marketing and distribution still rules.

Apple’s MacWorld Expo is next week.

Today I read a post talking about the Kindle (and I apologize, I’ve misplaced it and can’t find it) talking about how successful it’s been — and used a phrase something like “despite really lackluster industrial design”.

It always seemed weird to me that Amazon didn’t have the Kindle available in numbers for the christmas season; that just seems to be the kind of “mistake” Amazon doesn’t make, unless it has a good reason. One good reason is having Kindle^^2 around the corner, for instance, but even then, why not fill demand?

What if — just speculating — the reason Kindle is out of stock until February is because the new Kindle can’t be announced until January? Because it’s going to be announced at Macworld? By Apple?

The idea of an Apple device that’s Kindle compatible is REALLY intriguing. So is a Kindle that’s compatible with iTunes as well as Amazon, or perhaps uses iTunes to purchase from Amazon. Apple’s got a core strength there in industrial design Amazon doesn’t. The synergy possibilities are fascinating.

So, at least for a few days, we can let the conspiracy theories spin out. Me, I’d love to see what Apple could do with a Kindle. Out of that idea, we can spin all sorts of interesting and weird theories, no? And at that, ones that actually make more sense than a lot of the crap the rumor sites are throwing out…

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  • http://www.chuqui.com chuqui

    comments moved from old site:

    William 1/2/2009

    What if the Kindle isn't anywhere near the big success it has been made out to be? What if some gadget freaks bought them but they're not buying books and blog subscriptions so the thing is a big fat flop? I'm not saying this is the case, but what if?

    Fishwife, 1/2/2009

    I read books on my iPod Touch. It is the perfect device for reading. It doesn't hurt my eyes, the text can be adjusted to be larger than that in a real book. The fact that a whole page cannot be displayed at this size is a bonus, it focuses my concentration on what I am reading, and I don't get intimidated by how much more there may be on the page or in a chapter, my eye does not wander. When I tell friends this they invariably say 'oh, I couldn't read on something that small, it would hurt my eyes'. We are in a transition phase at the moment, so the Kindle is made 'book-sized' to help people adjust to the idea of reading in this new way, and as such is destined for redundancy, but, believe me, the iPod is the ideal book reader, the rest of the world just doesn't realize it yet.

    Newton! 1/2/2009

    A couple of screenshots from Apple's last ebook machine. Back to the future…

    * .
    * .

    Aren't they similar (Newton MP2x00 and a “Newton MP3x00″)-
    * http://skitch.com/mpix/95wm/an-iphone-touch-or-…

    and while we're talking about the future. The future of the mac…
    * http://skitch.com/mpix/95p3/future-of-the-perso…

    Webomatica 1/1/2009

    I've long felt Apple had a clear path to dominating the eBook world if it so desired. They already have iTunes as a distribution mechanism, and a bunch of devices to read stuff on beyond just a dedicated eBook reader (iPods, iPhones). I kind of think they have been waiting to see if Amazon's Kindle would take off and if so, they would jump in and take over, as they did with MP3s and phones – let others build up the market and they would come in with the “superior” device. The only complicating issue is I don't know if a dedicated eBook device is the best way to go. Apple could just make an awesome computer or web device that just happens to be a great eBook reader. They'd sell more hardware that way.

    Schoonerman 1/1/2009

    I really would not want the Kindle to lose the 3G wireless-based purchasing–no computer involved. (I wouldn't mind your suggestion as an add-on.)

    And I suspect the other show next week is the more likely venue if there is a Kindle announcement to be made.

    Also–you claim this isn't a rumor, but its very presence will turn it into one.
    -John in Port Ludlow

  • http://www.chuqui.com chuqui

    Comments moved from the old site

    BayAreaGuy 1/5/2009

    Phil Greenspun has flipped from being a Kindle supporter to panning it, due to its being too fragile:

    http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/12/31/a…

    There are also rumors of a reader-sized iPod Touch later this year.

    -Ray

    Dwight Silverman, 1/2/2009

    Rather than designing a whole new reading device, what if, instead, Apple released an app that let you buy and read Kindle books on the iPhone/iPod touch platform?

    Matt P, 1/2/2009

    Devil's advocate:

    - Why would Apple ever partner with Amazon, considering they are fierce competitors in almost every other form of digital media?
    - Apple seems way too confident in the power of the iPhone/iPod touch platform to go after a netbook, let alone a dedicated device like the Kindle (even if Steve changed his mind, it seems like they would go after netbooks first)

  • http://www.chuqui.com chuqui

    comments moved from old site:

    William 1/2/2009

    What if the Kindle isn't anywhere near the big success it has been made out to be? What if some gadget freaks bought them but they're not buying books and blog subscriptions so the thing is a big fat flop? I'm not saying this is the case, but what if?

    Fishwife, 1/2/2009

    I read books on my iPod Touch. It is the perfect device for reading. It doesn't hurt my eyes, the text can be adjusted to be larger than that in a real book. The fact that a whole page cannot be displayed at this size is a bonus, it focuses my concentration on what I am reading, and I don't get intimidated by how much more there may be on the page or in a chapter, my eye does not wander. When I tell friends this they invariably say 'oh, I couldn't read on something that small, it would hurt my eyes'. We are in a transition phase at the moment, so the Kindle is made 'book-sized' to help people adjust to the idea of reading in this new way, and as such is destined for redundancy, but, believe me, the iPod is the ideal book reader, the rest of the world just doesn't realize it yet.

    Newton! 1/2/2009

    A couple of screenshots from Apple's last ebook machine. Back to the future…

    * .
    * .

    Aren't they similar (Newton MP2x00 and a “Newton MP3x00″)-
    * http://skitch.com/mpix/95wm/an-iphone-touch-or-…

    and while we're talking about the future. The future of the mac…
    * http://skitch.com/mpix/95p3/future-of-the-perso…

    Webomatica 1/1/2009

    I've long felt Apple had a clear path to dominating the eBook world if it so desired. They already have iTunes as a distribution mechanism, and a bunch of devices to read stuff on beyond just a dedicated eBook reader (iPods, iPhones). I kind of think they have been waiting to see if Amazon's Kindle would take off and if so, they would jump in and take over, as they did with MP3s and phones – let others build up the market and they would come in with the “superior” device. The only complicating issue is I don't know if a dedicated eBook device is the best way to go. Apple could just make an awesome computer or web device that just happens to be a great eBook reader. They'd sell more hardware that way.

    Schoonerman 1/1/2009

    I really would not want the Kindle to lose the 3G wireless-based purchasing–no computer involved. (I wouldn't mind your suggestion as an add-on.)

    And I suspect the other show next week is the more likely venue if there is a Kindle announcement to be made.

    Also–you claim this isn't a rumor, but its very presence will turn it into one.
    -John in Port Ludlow

  • http://www.chuqui.com chuqui

    Comments moved from the old site

    BayAreaGuy 1/5/2009

    Phil Greenspun has flipped from being a Kindle supporter to panning it, due to its being too fragile:

    http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/12/31/a…

    There are also rumors of a reader-sized iPod Touch later this year.

    -Ray

    Dwight Silverman, 1/2/2009

    Rather than designing a whole new reading device, what if, instead, Apple released an app that let you buy and read Kindle books on the iPhone/iPod touch platform?

    Matt P, 1/2/2009

    Devil's advocate:

    - Why would Apple ever partner with Amazon, considering they are fierce competitors in almost every other form of digital media?
    - Apple seems way too confident in the power of the iPhone/iPod touch platform to go after a netbook, let alone a dedicated device like the Kindle (even if Steve changed his mind, it seems like they would go after netbooks first)

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