I thought that with the advent of the iPad the Kindle and its brethren would be in for a major struggle since they are all one-trick-ponies, you know - who's buying MP3 players these days?
But now, at the end of 2010 it all makes sense. I think. What happened was that both the iPad - and the Kindle (and some other devices on their coat tails) sold like hotcakes. The advent of the iPad created a major paradigm shift where a complete computer illiterate would want and buy a mobile computer appliance and successfully use it.
All of a sudden the Kindle, a 'similar' device, a slate as well, another appliance-style device, as easy to use as the iPad appeared on the radar screen of people how only recently learned about mobile computing appliances.
I bought an iPad for my wife the first day it came out, already knowing that I was going to get the 3G version as well. My wife loved everything about it - but rarely ever used it, turning my arguments against laptops (and netbooks specifically) against the iPad. She said: "If I have the choice to either use the iPad or my 27" iMac, you know, I chose the iMac. That's a no-brainer, isn't it? The iPad is a goner."
And gone it was. Soon after the 3G version came out, we sold out first day iPad on ebay for a very good price.
For Christmas I got my wife a Kindle 3. She loves it, embraces it (still won't read the manual) and knows how to handle it.
But now, at the end of 2010 it all makes sense. I think. What happened was that both the iPad - and the Kindle (and some other devices on their coat tails) sold like hotcakes. The advent of the iPad created a major paradigm shift where a complete computer illiterate would want and buy a mobile computer appliance and successfully use it.
All of a sudden the Kindle, a 'similar' device, a slate as well, another appliance-style device, as easy to use as the iPad appeared on the radar screen of people how only recently learned about mobile computing appliances.
I bought an iPad for my wife the first day it came out, already knowing that I was going to get the 3G version as well. My wife loved everything about it - but rarely ever used it, turning my arguments against laptops (and netbooks specifically) against the iPad. She said: "If I have the choice to either use the iPad or my 27" iMac, you know, I chose the iMac. That's a no-brainer, isn't it? The iPad is a goner."
And gone it was. Soon after the 3G version came out, we sold out first day iPad on ebay for a very good price.
For Christmas I got my wife a Kindle 3. She loves it, embraces it (still won't read the manual) and knows how to handle it.
