Have you heard demand is so high for Amazon's new e-book reader that the thing actually sold out? We don't believe it either. Another scenario is this: Amazon is scared that the sales of the ugly device aren't meeting projections, so it has launched a reality distortion field with a bit of slick PR to juice interest before the holidays.
We're not saying the following is true. We're just saying what follows is a likely scenario:
1. Amazon spent three years developing its e-book reader Kindle. The white hunk of plastic that shows books in black and white launched a few months after Apple introduced the world to its iPhone, a gorgeous, full-color portable internet computer. Early Kindle reviews gagged, saying the thing looks like cheap Soviet technology or a portable medical device. Except for one major puff piece in Newsweek, which was so glowing the editors actually put Jeff Bezos and divine creation in the same headline.
2. Did we say Kindle reviews were unkind? OMG. Three years of development, its first foray into hardware, and Amazon has all the world's bloggers laughing at its medical prostate scanner ... er, e-book reader. Hey, it does have wireless connectivity. Sort of like your 1999 cell phone.
3. So on Friday, Dec. 14, reports spread that Kindle had sold out a week before Christmas and the only way to get one was to shell out $1,500 on eBay for the $399 device. The rumors! The horror!
4. Ah, but do the math. There are only five real business days left between this Monday, Dec. 17, and Christmas. Standard shipping takes about three days, so delivery would be tight anyway if you ordered Kindle this weekend. Amazon's text is a bit cryptic, saying "Due to heavy customer demand, Kindle is sold out." Hmm.
5. So, do the test. Go to Amazon.com and start to order it. Will you see a window saying, "sorry, sold out"? Nope. Amazon merrily takes you through checkout. A clause appears explaining you won't get the device before Christmas, but you can still order away. (Don't worry, we bailed before the final click.)
6. So ... if people can order Kindle, then we guess it's not sold out, is it?
7. The final reality check: Would any company spend three years developing a product, launch it months before Christmas, put its CEO on the cover of Newsweek proclaiming the product as the future, and not produce enough inventory to ship the week before Christmas? Give us a break.
Nice try, Amazon. We do wish you luck, but we smell a page turning in history, the chapter for Kindle is tragic, and clever PR won't rewrite the ending. Soon, every cell phone will give us gorgeous glass views of the entire internet, with video, web sites, news, Google apps, and yes, books. We don't need dedicated devices anymore, and especially devices with ugly design.
If only you had wrapped Kindle in leather, it might have stood a chance.
1 comments:
I agree with your theory Ben. If the Kindle is so in demand that it is already sold-out, why haven't I seen anyone with it.
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