Steve Jobs on Kindle
January 17th, 2008 | Published in Books & Reading, Technology | 7 Comments
When asked about Amazon’s Kindle, Steve Jobs replied:
“It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don’t read anymore…. Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year. The whole conception is flawed at the top because people don’t read anymore.”
He’s wrong according to his own statistic. If 40% of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year, 60% read one or more books. Everyone I know reads a little, and many read multiple books a month. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone has sold 117 million copies and it’s only been around for 10 years. That’s a lot of books for people who don’t read. And if “the whole conception is flawed,” why is the Kindle out of stock? It seems reality has the audacity to disagree with Steve Jobs.
So it wouldn’t surprise me if Steve changes his tune in a few years and releases an elegant e-reader. I hope somebody does, because it doesn’t exist yet.
January 17th, 2008 at 2:50 pm (#)
That’s ridiculous.
Even ignoring the flawed statistic, I think it’s shameful (albeit somewhat amusing) that he would suggest books are obsolete. Evidently he expects everyone is too busy taking snapshots and organizing them by date or sorting their music collection into playlists.
January 17th, 2008 at 3:07 pm (#)
The most recent NEA report on reading does show a pretty grim picture, but I’d have expected Steve Jobs to be smarter than that comment.
I for one am reading Madame Bovary.
January 18th, 2008 at 7:17 am (#)
Jobs’ goal is to make money for Apple by selling as many iThings as possible. I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple’s working hard on some kind of iBook-tablet thing and an e-books store. By downplaying the Kindle, he’s pointing out dissatisfaction and making room (at least in the media) for Apple to introduce a more elegant product.
It wasn’t too long ago that Jobs’ scoffed at the idea of people watching video on their iPods. Today video is one of the major selling points of every iPod model (except for the Shuffle, naturally). Jobs is nothing if not a marketing genius. So, I wouldn’t be too quick to dismiss his comments.
For the record, I’m currently reading 4 books right now.
January 18th, 2008 at 9:40 am (#)
Matt,
I’m dismissing his comment because it’s plain wrong. True, he might be lying to catch people off guard when they release a e-book reader, but that doesn’t make him correct when he says “people don’t read anymore.”
January 20th, 2008 at 12:23 pm (#)
Joshua,
Haven’t been here in a while, but I see that our interests still coincide in many areas. Nice web site!
Are you advocating for the Kindle here, or just reading in general? I think it’s fair to say that we as Americans read fewer books today than we did in years past. I can forgive Jobs a little hyperbole if that’s the point he’s making.
I balk at the idea that Kindles or other techno-gadgets will usher in a new age of reading and literacy.
January 20th, 2008 at 8:47 pm (#)
Artie,
I’m not advocating Kindle, but I’ll be excited when they get something that has the advantages of digital with most of the advantages of paper. It is of course true that we read less than in the past, but according to his own statistic 6 out of every 10 people read more than a book a year.
January 21st, 2008 at 2:53 pm (#)
Josh,
I would love to hear what Neil Postman would have said about Kindle or other e-reading devices. I’m skeptical of these things for a few reasons:
DRM - Digital Rights Management. Will DRM or proprietary file formats dictate how and when I can read my e-books, or who can “author” an e-book? Do I have to have a computer and internet connection to get e-content to read? If so, why not read it on the computer? Is Kindle just another “labor-saving” salad-shooter? Can I share and transfer my e-books like I do my paper books?
Proprietary hardware - does Kindle have standard size AA or AAA batteries? Or must I buy expensive, exotic form-factor batteries when the rechargeable dies its inevitable death?
Ergonomics - Can I write in the margins and underline things that are important to me? Must I lug around a charger? Is it rugged enough to withstand the rigors of academic life?
I have a favorite book that I found at a used book store. It is obvious that the book had been run over by a car, and the tread marks were visible on the back cover. Somehow I doubt Kindles will have this kind of longevity.
I picture Kindles and the like as expensive, niche-market gadgets. I usually don’t agree with Jobs and other techie types, but I have to agree that reading on the decline, and iTunes ascending, Kindles will be a hard-sell.
This is one area where Negroponte’s $100 laptop might be a good thing, as long as everything is open-source and non-DRM.