Re: Kindle media reviews sometimes a little bizarre

Well, unless Amazon owns MobileRead, the MobileRead forums provide a modicum of 
independent data in the form of purchaser comments.  Here's a sample:  "Coming over 
from the Sony Reader (which I do still love by the way), the Kindle is just a better product."  
As in the Amazon customer reviewers, although many purchasers acknowledge that it's 
not perfect, there's no prevailing theme reflecting dismay, dissatisfaction, or an anti-
Amazon backlash from people who've received their device.

In fairness, your example of a possible scenario in which the Kindle sells poorly despite 
being out of stock long before Christmas at least has the merit of addressing a 
circumstance usually associated with strong sales.  The point of my original post was not 
so much that the Kindle is selling well as that Glenn Fleishman and other media reviewers 
have been saying, "This thing will never sell" and studiously making no mention of it being 
out of stock or of favorable comments from early purchasers. I'd be interested in a review 
that said, "Amazon website to the contrary, the Kindle is actually selling very poorly," 
especially if it had, as you say, independent evidence of that.

John

--- In [email protected], Bill Janssen <bill@...> wrote:
>
> > I dunno, Bill.  Your response seems pretty speculative, especially
> > when you say that my analysis "merely reflects your internal hopes"
> 
> Really -- without data, what else could it reflect?  I guess, Amazon's
> marketing.  Good point.
> 
> > We can also observe, as you can confirm for yourself, that the sales
> > ranks of Kindle editions rise and fall in the Kindle store, which is
> > evidence that there are people out there with Kindles buying ebooks.
> 
> Again, "evidence" from Amazon.  Any independent data?
> 
> > As far as early reviews are concerned, actual customer reviews by
> > people who've received Kindles almost invariably give it four or five
> > stars and have titles like "A few weeks in, and it's certainly not
> > going to back to Amazon!" and "We need two," both posted today.  The
> > only exception I've found in checking the newest customer reviews
> > periodically was one titled "I returned mine: waiting for 'real' one"
> > by Glenn Fleishman, the Seattle Times reviewer.
> 
> Again, "evidence" from...  Do I really need to say it again?
> 
> > What likelihood would you assign your scenario of Amazon trying to
> > artificially discourage
> 
> A minor point -- it's not "my scenario" -- just an example of another
> possible scenario equally well supported by the available data.  I doubt
> it, myself, but don't have any data one way or the other.
> 
> I don't know which way the Kindle is going to shake out, but I'd sure
> like to find some independent data on how well it's doing.
> 
> Bill
>





------------------------------------------------------
Post a message:   ebook-community [[at]] *
Unsubscribe:      ebook-community-unsubscribe [[at]] *
Switch to digest: ebook-community-digest [[at]] *
Switch to normal: ebook-community-normal [[at]] *
Put mail on hold: ebook-community-nomail [[at]] *
Administrator:    ebook-community-owner [[at]] *

(* == yahoogroups.com)
------------------------------------------------------- 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ebook-community/

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ebook-community/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
    mailto:[email protected] 
    mailto:ebook-community-fullfeatured-hHKSG33TihhbjbujkaE4pw@public.gmane.org

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    ebook-community-unsubscribe-hHKSG33TihhbjbujkaE4pw@public.gmane.org

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/