Comment丨Kindle or exit the Chinese market, do we really need e-readers?

The commercial market is changing rapidly, and there is no need to sigh at the possibility of the Kindle leaving. If it has brought you knowledge and joy, it has fulfilled its value.

Recently, some netizens exposed that the domestic Kindle official vending platform has an abnormal state of shortage, suspected of withdrawing from the Chinese market, triggering heated discussion among netizens. On January 4, Amazon responded: "The Kindle e-book reader is favored by consumers, and some models are currently sold out in the Chinese market." Consumers can purchase Kindle devices through third-party online and offline retailers. The high-quality customer service and warranty services provided by Amazon will not change. ”

Although it promises to provide services and warranties, consumers can also buy Kindles in third-party channels, but Amazon's response also indicates from the side that Amazon will not resume the sale of Kindle for the time being. Combined with previous reports about the "kindle China hardware team was dismissed" and the kindle Tmall flagship store has closed at the end of October 2021, it is not difficult to see that kindle has indeed shrunk its business in China.

Kindle e-book reader. Image according to ICPhoto

As an e-book reader launched by Amazon, the Kindle has been ridiculed by many netizens as a "cover bubble noodle artifact". Although it is a joke, it does reflect the embarrassment of the Kindle in actual use: some people buy the Kindle with the purpose of reading books, but more often, the Kindle is dried aside to eat ash, and even used to cover the noodles.

At the same time, e-reader competitors on the market are emerging in an endless stream, and some domestic manufacturers may not be worse than kindles in terms of localization and ease of use, thus taking away some of the original audience of the Kindle. And, since the Kindle came out, the controversy surrounding it has not been broken: Do we really need an ink screen e-book reader like this?

I still remember when the Kindle first entered the Chinese market, the scenery was unlimited. People admire it for two reasons: one is that the ink screen does not hurt the eyes, closer to the effect of reading paper books; the other is that the function is simple, and reading books with it can avoid the interference of other entertainment and social software.

Affected by this, I also bought a regular version of the Kindle, which was not rich at that time. I was very excited when I received the goods, but the actual use experience made me a little disappointed: the ink screen is not eye-hurting, but there is still a certain gap compared with the real paper book; due to the low refresh rate of the ink screen, the page reading will leave a residual shadow, affecting the perception; the Kindle device is generally about 6 inches, which is smaller than the regular paper book, and only shows black and white colors, reading PDF books and color graphics is inevitably inferior.

In terms of content, some books are either not available in the kindle's own e-book store, or are overpriced, or even close to half the price of paper books. In the market, paper books are often sold at a 50% or 60% discount when doing activities, so why don't consumers buy paper books directly at similar prices? It can be seen that in terms of book resources and pricing strategies, Kindle China does not seem to have found a more in line with the habits of domestic consumers.

In my opinion, "immersive reading" is more like a pseudo-proposition. People who really want to read books will naturally block the interference of other information. If you are a person who can't help but brush the circle of friends without reading a few pages of books, then no matter what equipment you use to read, I am afraid that you will be half-hearted.

Of course, e-books also have advantages that paper books cannot match, such as the portability of e-books and the digitization of notes. Every time I moved before, I had to worry about a thick pile of tomes, or when I tried to rummage through the materials of a certain book, I found that the book was no longer in the house... Every time this happens, I lament the benefits of digitizing notes.

However, do you have to use an ink screen reader to read e-books? Mobile phones and tablets can actually be used, and the display effect is more delicate. Tablets with stylus can even be used for better note-taking. In a sense, the kindle can do mobile phones, tablets can also do, kindle can not do mobile phones, tablets can also do, so why consumers have to spend money to buy a Kindle?

It can be expected that in the future, electronic and digital reading is a trend, but paper books will not be completely replaced. And the "e-book reader", a device, is more like creating a demand. Perhaps for professionals, a reader with a larger screen, better display, and more local ease of use is the icing on the cake, but it is not indispensable. The contraction of Kindle in the market also shows to some extent that consumers are more rational and practical, and the competitiveness of China's local related products is increasing. The business market is changing rapidly. Don't beg to lament the possibility of the Kindle leaving, if it has brought you knowledge and joy, it has fulfilled its value.

Red Star News special commentator Yu Feng

Edited by Wang Yaotao

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