Who is Farhan Lalji?

While looking at a book on my desk a colleague said “I thought you would be using Amazon’s new Kindle”. I said it wasn’t for me, and I can’t see myself ever reading a book digitally. We talked a bit about the experience and how it’s different from music online and I came up with an analogy that I think fits.

With music it’s difficult to experience a concert digitally; it’s an experience, and a long experience at that. Listening to songs works, but I can’t see digital concerts replacing the real thing. With reading I think it’s the same. Articles are the singles of literature, reading online works, short bursts good experience. Books are like a concert, longer sustained experience where digital isn’t as good as the real thing.

I know I’ve blogged about digital reading before and I’ve strongly felt the Kindle wouldn’t really take off, despite strong sales data, I’m happy that I’ve found myself an analogy that makes me feel better about my instincts on the medium.

Jason Fried over at SVN pointed an article on why the internet won’t be nirvana by Cliff Stoll from 1995. In it Stoll makes the point,

“Even if there were a trustworthy way to send money over the Internet–which there isn’t–the network is missing a most essential ingredient of capitalism: salespeople”.

That really got me thinking about salespeople. Could there be a more unauthentic role in capitalism then that of the traditional salesperson? I get shivers just when I hear the word.

But the internet is changing the sales perspective. No longer is it a person who goes around knocking on doors or cold-calling people. Everyone is becoming a salesperson.

I think in part it goes back to Umair’s point about interaction; everyone can interact with a product at a minimal cost. And then if you add the fact that sharing information has become super cheap and easy too, well then everyone becomes a potential salesperson.

By talking about NCAA basketball on my status on Facebook, by adding a bookshelf widget, by writing about 37signals on my blog, by adding feedback on a book on Amazon, by… you get the point. I’m a salesperson and so too is everyone else on the web. So if everyone is a salesperson 2.0 then no one needs to be a traditional salesperson and a salesperson is no longer needed. Finally, no more shivers.

Kindle’s clogging up the blogosphere and the airwaves right now. As I wrote, and N and Cathy commented, the other day it’s probably a crummy idea. But some people have been making some good points so I thought it would be good to point out the other side – and to give my take on why I don’t buy it.

• They said the same thing about digital music, that people wouldn’t want to listen to music electronically or store their files, that the album, 8 track, tape, cd would never succumb to the mp3. Difference is people like to announce the books their reading to the world. Reading Harry Potter is a badge of honour. Reading Owen Meany is inviting me to comment, “what a great book, love that story”. Also reading a book is – usually – a one off affair. You read, you put it on the book shelf or you pass it on. Where as a CD is a repeat experience. I know some people read the same book many times, but it’s far less likely to happen then listening to the same album. Also, the medium for music was crying for innovation, hence we went from the album to the 8 track to the tape to the cd.
• Being able to carry a number of different titles on the go is better then having to lug all your books with you. I think this is a pretty good argument. But, I can’t remember the last time I thought to myself wish I had another book right this instant. If I finish a book, I like to discuss it with someone, or try and think about it a bit. I don’t feel this pain, but I’d welcome hearing from people who do.
• Its better environmentally. This one I can give you. But if the kindle comes out with a number of different models, and people dump their old kindles I think the environmental factors might be a wash.

I still don’t like it. Still can’t see it growing the ebook market. And I still can’t see anyone spending $400 to pick up an ebook reader.

So Amazon’s releasing a ebook reader, calling it Kindle, and hoping that it will get the ebook market going. I don’t – and won’t – buy it.For some people who like the experience and have already started reading ebooks, and after reading Michael Parekh’s blog I was amazing to find that there are people who do indeed fit into this category, it’s a good step up from your Sony reader. But for people who prefer the paper copy I can’t see this being a likely substitute.

To begin with there’s nothing really wrong with the classic book reading experience, sure carrying multiple titles with you might be attractive, but how often have you thought “wish I had another book with me”. Finishing a book and not having an alternative might in fact be a good thing as it gives you some time to reflect and meditate on the book.

And sure there are environmental concerns to buying lots of books, but if you buy books from used book stores and give books to used books stores then the environmental impact has to be minimal when compared to, oh I don’t know, cars and airplanes perhaps!?

I also found it really weird that Amazon decided to go into this market (as a manufacturer), they don’t have the experience or the knowledge to manufacture customer goods. And if Apple releases some ebook software for the iPod or the iPhone, heck when the SDK comes out in Feb if someone releases a software program for the iPod or iPhone, that’s got to be more useable, useful and probably will end up more used then the kindle.

Manufacturing consumer electronics isn’t cheap, and the fact that this was a first for Amazon probably meant they started from scratch, lots of costs. With a price point of 400 USD wonder how many they’ll have to sell to actually be ROI positive. Sure the ebooks will help the bottom line, but if the apple devices have software that reads ebooks surely this would have come down their pipe anyway. Anyway will be interesting to see if we’re all using kindles to surf and read books in a couple of years. But I doubt it.