Did Amazon stop trying once they chose E Ink?

[sophiecentaur]

TL;DR Summary

Operating systems from desktops to tiny Smart Phones seem to work on the same principles. Kindle is nothing like the rest. Are we all out of step but Kindle?

I read a lot of fiction and am on my third kindle E Reader. E Ink is very clever and is easy to read. I can carry more books than a human could ever hope to read. I really don't care that writing a screenfull of text takes my Kindle a long time compared with my other devices. BUT the interface is, for some reason best known to Amazon, in complete quadrature of any other device. Why?
From the earliest Windows GUI to my latest MacOS there are common, recognisable metaphors. Otoh, Kindle is totally foreign territory. The only process that should be slower than other machines must surely be the E Ink display. memory and processors are cheap so why is it so so slow?
When I buy a new Mac or iPhone, I ask my old machine to Migrate and after a few tens of minutes, I have a fully working and familiar new machine. A brand new Kindle (in 2024!!) makes you work hard to get started.
I've been using computers since the 60s and the file structure with folders has always made sense, before GUIs were available. Very undemanding for any modern processor; It's dealing with a tiny database. For some reason Kindle uses thumbnails instead of text. Total waste of time.

Several years ago I went on a Kindle Forum and had my ears boxed when I suggested that the system of 'collections' was confusing and limited. The users on that forum were clearly not abreast of what computers can do and didn't want any change.

Today, I found that I couldn't even read the basic information files because it was looking for the documents on line and no broadband connection.

A real shame.

 

[jedishrfu]

Amazon is focused on reading with their kindles and so the interface must be as simple as possible. My issue with kindle is that all my books show up in the library and I would prefer a folder scheme where I can organize them like I do when using GoodReader with PDF files.

With respect to e-ink, Amazon released a pricier kindle with color soft technology where you see faded colors. It's around $380 USD.

The whole Kindle design is to be low-light battery efficient yet visible in sunlight. E-ink fits that bill. It is also good for nighttime because it eliminates blue light that affects sleep patterns.

The Kindle is slow since the reading use case means casual user interaction, i.e., page switching, and minimal battery should be used; that's why you see a slight flicker when switching pages or the GUI is slow to respond to touch.

Lastly, it's a loss leader for Amazon, designed to sell more books. Therefore, it has to be as cheap to make as possible, which means using slightly older, slower chip technology.

 

[sophiecentaur]

Therefore, it has to be as cheap to make as possible, which means using slightly older, slower chip technology.

I have no problem with the speed of the Kindle System. My problem is that the whole system is strange and non-intuitive. I guess they saved money by having a low grade design team (person?). It's a common problem with building any system when you start of claiming that "our requirements are totally different from the rest of the world's".

If everyone else is out of step with our Joe then you don't get a good result. The Amazon marketing system is pretty damn good and it deals well with complaints, problems and support. I wonder how kindle squeezed through the net.

 

[jedishrfu]

Yeah, I can see where their design is very old compared to other apps and devices but books are books and that's where you spend your time. I do like the notion of clicking on a word or phrase and getting a dictionary or Wikipedia entry though.

 

[phinds]

I remember, many years ago, getting my first Kindle and being absolutely astounded at what an utterly miserable interface and navigation it had. I found it hard to believe it could be so awful.

I'm on #4 and It has not improved much. Still awful.

 

[jedishrfu]

but compared to a book how bad is it?

For reference, I have a paper white and an iPad. The iPad is reat for all things in color but the paperwhite is great for reading in broad daylight (not so much) and nighttime before bed.

I just finished reading The Great Gatsby and used the mark text search feature several times for the obscure references Fitzgerald used.

 

[DaveC426913]

...the interface is, for some reason best known to Amazon, in complete quadrature of any other device.

Is this a typo?

I see the word exists, but the applications don't seem to apply. I wonder if the intended usage here is a synonym of orthogonal (i.e. 'at right angles to')?

It's a common problem with building any system when you start of claiming that "our requirements are totally different from the rest of the world's".

If everyone else is out of step with our Joe then you don't get a good result.

I get this going from PC to Mac. Some peculiarities of Macs seem to be applied with the motto: "different, for difference's sake, is better".

In the user experience world, "user expectation" is an important usability feature. No matter how good a feature is, if the user doesn't expect it, it can be a bad experience.

I have a Kobo Reader. Have had many. Pretty happy with it, though it has its own faults with navigation. Not sure if I'm missing out on a lot of books because of selection though.

 

[jedishrfu]

Just found another interesting tidbit, Amazon can restrict the number of copies of a book that you've downloaded to 6 copies. Some publishers may request a more restrictive download policy like no more than 2 copies but they usually don't tell you.

Amazon has also implemented a restriction on keeping books downloaded to your PC on an external device like a USB stick. Apparently users found that the DRM could be compromised. The main reason was to protect their ebooks from deletion by Amazon should some publisher dispute cause them to be taken offline.

 

[harborsparrow]

I am a big reader of Kindle books and agree completely that the ungainly user interface of Kindle hardware readers tends to iffset the benefits of E Ink. Thus, I do most reading on tablets or phones using the free Kindle software reader. I do keep a hardware Kindle device charged and loaded with some good books but it is generally for use only during an extended emergency power outage. It's a shame really. The Kindle hardware renders beautifully readable pages but overall, the device's clunky book filing and handling is a deterrent. It would be so easy to improve, and I find it baffling and sad that Amazon has not done so. If they did, I would gladly keep investing in the latest reader hardware.

 

[sophiecentaur]

the device's clunky book filing and handling

Yes but I feel the long charge life makes up for that. I spend a lot longer reading than poking about with files.