PSA for Readers Everywhere

If I told you to think of an mp3 player, I think it is safe to assume that your mind would immediately go to the iPod. Though the Google Operating System parallels the iPhone in quality (dare, I be so bold as to say it surpasses it?!?), if I ask you to name a SmartPhone, more often than not, the iPhone will be thought of first. It is the same with eReaders. If I say eReader, you say Kindle. What I can't figure out is why?!?

I realize that it was on the market first. But the original Kindles were overpriced and clunky. There were bugs galore. That is what happens when you are first. You get noticed. And then, while everyone is basking in the glow of your awesome technological advance, you quietly clean up the kinks, clear out the bugs and push out a bunch of version releases – each one an "improvement."

The Kindle is nice. It has a decent, readable screen. You can read books you purchased from Amazon on it. It has name recognition. Ok, that's all I can think of to say about it. Side-by-side compare eReaders and the Kindle doesn't stand out. Yet, over and over, I keep hearing people utter "I love my NEW Kindle." Why? What is it that you love?

Is it the technology that allows you to share books with others? Is it the fact that you can "check out" eLibrary Books from your local library and read them? Is it the color screen? Is it the Apps Market? Is it the ability to load Google Books onto it? Or is it none of the above, because while there are eReaders in the market that can do some or all of the aforementioned things, the Kindle isn't one of them.

Amazon is touting the fact that the Kindle has out sold Harry Potter. I find that sad. All that means is that there are millions of current consumers who didn't do their eReader homework. While I thank Amazon for trailblazing, there are others who have set a far better path. I hope that people start to see the new directions they can take.