Strange Reactions to Kindle

foreverjuly · 08-10-2010, 04:12 PM

As shocking as it may seem to us, some people STILL don't get the whole kindle/e-reading revolution. Sometimes I get blank stares or hear snickering in the background when I'm using it. I wish I could just give one to everyone so they could understand how awesome it is.

Do you get people asking you all the time why you decided to get yourself a Kindle? I never feel like I have the right answer to satisfy them. No matter if I tell them how easy it is to get books at low prices and read them without eye-strain, I get weird responses like "Yeah but not that many people have a Kindle," as if that is proof of anything. I even had someone say to me once, "I want to get a kindle, but I just don't like to read."

How do people react when they hear about your Kindle or see you using it? What do people do when they are suddenly confronted with the reality of ebooks?

kindlekitten · 08-10-2010, 04:18 PM

most think it is really neat. it's been a great ice breaker at airports, restaurants etc. I get the most bafflement from my mother...

Exer · 08-10-2010, 04:28 PM

The Kindle I currently own was actually a gift for my mother, but she gave it back to me after a few months. She said she just couldn't get used to it. I sure didn't argue, since I had dropped and broke my 505 and had been thinking about replacing it with a Kindle anyway.

I think part of the reason she gave it back to me was just the hassle of people always asking her about it. She's a TA at a grade school, so liked to read on her lunch break. I'm sure the dozens of little kids always running up saying "oh oh, whats that huh huh!?" probably didn't let her get much reading done lol

foreverjuly · 08-10-2010, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exer

I think part of the reason she gave it back to me was just the hassle of people always asking her about it. She's a TA at a grade school, so liked to read on her lunch break. I'm sure the dozens of little kids always running up saying "oh oh, whats that huh huh!?" probably didn't let her get much reading done lol

lol I heard about a guy who was using his kindle at a school and a kid ran up to him and had the following conversation:

Boy: What's that?
Guy: It's a kindle.
Boy: Does it have games?
Guy: No, it's just for reading. (before the games were released)
Boy: Here, take a picture. Cheese!
Guy: No, no, you just read books with it.
(Boy looks at him strangely, has a slight spasm, and runs off.)

fin

carld · 08-10-2010, 04:49 PM

Twice I've been asked "When are you getting an iPad?"

tovare · 08-10-2010, 04:59 PM

On any given average day 24% reads a book, 81% watches TV, 59% uses their home computer, 71% accesses the internet. (Presumably some at work or other devices).

(Norwegian stats: http://www.ssb.no/aarbok/tab/tab-234.html)

Advert for the Kindle 3 from July 2009 (CollegeHumor):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI0Zry_R4RQ

Ajax · 08-10-2010, 06:41 PM

Most of the reactions I get at work when I decide to read on breaks is:
"Why would you pay that much to read a book?"
"You mean you STILL have to buy books?"

tovare · 08-10-2010, 06:54 PM

My reaction at work was "How do you turn up the contrast on this thing ... from a guy used to an eyescorching ipod touch" :-)

foreverjuly · 08-10-2010, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tovare

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI0Zry_R4RQ

Thanks for sharing. I've never seen that! Hilarious!

Quote:

Originally Posted by tovare

My reaction at work was "How do you turn up the contrast on this thing ... from a guy used to an eyescorching ipod touch" :-)

Haha He'll be blind before the year is out and have Apple to thank for it.

polbit · 08-10-2010, 09:12 PM

While I love my Kindle and wouldn't be without it, I can certainly see the appeal of paper books. That's the beauty of technology - choices. Some people prefer the eInk readers, some the iPad and other LCD-based readers, yet some still prefer the "real" stuff. I don't put people down for not being "with it", just like I expect others to respect my choices. Just because I can't stand reading on the iPad for longer periods, doesn't mean that I will make fun of others that do.

It is fun to show the Kindle reader to people that have never been exposed to one. I converted my wife and two co-workers. Never had a negative reaction to it, except from an iPad user at Starbucks. That was an event in itself. Some people just really need to stop measuring their self-worth by the gadgets they own...

JohnHileman · 08-10-2010, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by polbit

Some people just really need to stop measuring their self-worth by the gadgets they own...

What? You mean I need to move past believing that having seven beepers on my belt is cool?

John Michael Hileman

Cosmo Spring · 08-10-2010, 10:11 PM

My favorite reaction is the few seconds of "wait, that's like, the screen?" befuddlement. No, I paid $379 to look at this one greyscale picture of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Yes, that's really the screen.

clintbradford · 08-10-2010, 10:51 PM

>> ... How do you turn up the contrast on this thing ... ipod touch ...
>> ... he'll be blind before the year is out and have Apple to thank for it ...

I haven't found a study yet that has proven to me that my reading ebooks on my PDAs is harming me in any manner. Between my Palm devices and my 3G 32GB iPod touch, I read books on all of 'em. Usually with the text as cyan or yellow on a black background.

Can you cite for us any studies that tell me I am harming myself by doing this? Yes, it is mentioned all over the 'Net - but that doesn't necessarily make it true.

Roy White · 08-10-2010, 11:00 PM

The reaction I constantly get is... "But I just LOVE BOOKS SO much! .... The feel, the smell, the texture.... I'll Never get one of those things! Books are something tactile, something real, a treasure, an heirloom, etc. etc."

I just nod and say, "Yeah. Books are great that's for sure!"

I then have to practically Apologize and make excuses like,
"I love the works of an old writer George Macdonald. His books are out of print but I can download the original text from Gutenberg and make my own Kindle file. I have EVERY SINGLE word he ever published on my Kindle in a separate collection. With my Kindle I'm always carrying around over 400 books. i can read whatever i'm in the mood for from Cheesy Space Opera to Dostoevsky to Stephen King and the text files are free for PD books and only 9.99 for most Modern Novels." (By then the eyes of most people are glazing over and I kow they aren't listening so I sort of just trail off...) Then they go, "Well you'll never catch me reading one of those things!"

But the Oberon cover Always gets positive comments...

Teyrnon · 08-11-2010, 12:49 AM

The strangest reaction I've gotten was when an old acquaintance paid me a visit. She saw it on the table, visibly recoiled from it. After she regained her composure she asked me if I'd let her smash the "evil toy." After that I decided it was time to get her out of my house.

08-10-2010, 04:12 PM	#1
foreverjuly Crank Up The Awesome! Posts: 315 Karma: 708054 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Japan Device: Kindle, Nook, iPhone	Strange Reactions to Kindle As shocking as it may seem to us, some people STILL don't get the whole kindle/e-reading revolution. Sometimes I get blank stares or hear snickering in the background when I'm using it. I wish I could just give one to everyone so they could understand how awesome it is. Do you get people asking you all the time why you decided to get yourself a Kindle? I never feel like I have the right answer to satisfy them. No matter if I tell them how easy it is to get books at low prices and read them without eye-strain, I get weird responses like "Yeah but not that many people have a Kindle," as if that is proof of anything. I even had someone say to me once, "I want to get a kindle, but I just don't like to read." How do people react when they hear about your Kindle or see you using it? What do people do when they are suddenly confronted with the reality of ebooks?

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Troubleshooting Kindle DX strange noise	fredb	Amazon Kindle	13	06-18-2011 05:15 PM
Strange issue with News and Kindle/mobi	kennyc	Calibre	10	12-14-2009 01:58 PM
Kindle in a strange land	bigdosh12	Introduce Yourself	3	10-07-2009 12:36 PM
Strange things happening after Kindle update	tsgreer	Amazon Kindle	15	02-22-2008 05:34 PM
Some early Amazon reactions "Kindle hacking"	ajju	Kindle Developer's Corner	3	11-27-2007 01:19 PM

08-10-2010, 04:18 PM	#2
kindlekitten Professional Adventuress Posts: 13,368 Karma: 50260224 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: The Olympic Peninsula on the OTHER Washington! (the big green clean one on the west coast!) Device: Kindle, the original! Times Two! and gifting an International Kindle	most think it is really neat. it's been a great ice breaker at airports, restaurants etc. I get the most bafflement from my mother...

08-10-2010, 04:28 PM	#3
Exer I see Russia! Posts: 205 Karma: 234787 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Alaska Device: Etch-A-Sketch	The Kindle I currently own was actually a gift for my mother, but she gave it back to me after a few months. She said she just couldn't get used to it. I sure didn't argue, since I had dropped and broke my 505 and had been thinking about replacing it with a Kindle anyway. I think part of the reason she gave it back to me was just the hassle of people always asking her about it. She's a TA at a grade school, so liked to read on her lunch break. I'm sure the dozens of little kids always running up saying "oh oh, whats that huh huh!?" probably didn't let her get much reading done lol

08-10-2010, 04:49 PM	#5
carld Wizard Posts: 2,698 Karma: 4748723 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	Twice I've been asked "When are you getting an iPad?"

08-10-2010, 04:59 PM	#6
tovare Addict Posts: 221 Karma: 1133312 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Oslo/Norway Device: PRS-600, Kindle kb Wifi, new Kindle NT, PW2, Kindle Oasis	On any given average day 24% reads a book, 81% watches TV, 59% uses their home computer, 71% accesses the internet. (Presumably some at work or other devices). (Norwegian stats: http://www.ssb.no/aarbok/tab/tab-234.html) Advert for the Kindle 3 from July 2009 (CollegeHumor): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI0Zry_R4RQ

08-10-2010, 06:41 PM	#7
Ajax Addict Posts: 386 Karma: 17083352 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Texas Device: K4 Touch, Kindle Fire, HP Touchpad	Most of the reactions I get at work when I decide to read on breaks is: "Why would you pay that much to read a book?" "You mean you STILL have to buy books?"

08-10-2010, 06:54 PM	#8
tovare Addict Posts: 221 Karma: 1133312 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Oslo/Norway Device: PRS-600, Kindle kb Wifi, new Kindle NT, PW2, Kindle Oasis	My reaction at work was "How do you turn up the contrast on this thing ... from a guy used to an eyescorching ipod touch" :-)

08-10-2010, 09:12 PM	#10
polbit Connoisseur Posts: 56 Karma: 29488 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Keller, TX Device: Kindle 4, Kindle HDX 8.9, Yoga 2 Pro	While I love my Kindle and wouldn't be without it, I can certainly see the appeal of paper books. That's the beauty of technology - choices. Some people prefer the eInk readers, some the iPad and other LCD-based readers, yet some still prefer the "real" stuff. I don't put people down for not being "with it", just like I expect others to respect my choices. Just because I can't stand reading on the iPad for longer periods, doesn't mean that I will make fun of others that do. It is fun to show the Kindle reader to people that have never been exposed to one. I converted my wife and two co-workers. Never had a negative reaction to it, except from an iPad user at Starbucks. That was an event in itself. Some people just really need to stop measuring their self-worth by the gadgets they own...

08-10-2010, 10:11 PM	#12
Cosmo Spring Will read for food Posts: 26 Karma: 114 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Philadelphia, PA Device: Kindle DX-G	My favorite reaction is the few seconds of "wait, that's like, the screen?" befuddlement. No, I paid $379 to look at this one greyscale picture of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Yes, that's really the screen.

08-10-2010, 10:51 PM	#13
clintbradford Older ... slower ... Posts: 450 Karma: 1924 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Jurupa Valley CA US Device: Kobo, Kindles 2/3/Keyboard/Fire/Fire HD, HDX.	>> ... How do you turn up the contrast on this thing ... ipod touch ... >> ... he'll be blind before the year is out and have Apple to thank for it ... I haven't found a study yet that has proven to me that my reading ebooks on my PDAs is harming me in any manner. Between my Palm devices and my 3G 32GB iPod touch, I read books on all of 'em. Usually with the text as cyan or yellow on a black background. Can you cite for us any studies that tell me I am harming myself by doing this? Yes, it is mentioned all over the 'Net - but that doesn't necessarily make it true.

08-10-2010, 11:00 PM	#14
Roy White Evangelist Posts: 482 Karma: 7696 Join Date: May 2007 Location: Turner, Oregon Device: Sony Reader	The reaction I constantly get is... "But I just LOVE BOOKS SO much! .... The feel, the smell, the texture.... I'll Never get one of those things! Books are something tactile, something real, a treasure, an heirloom, etc. etc." I just nod and say, "Yeah. Books are great that's for sure!" I then have to practically Apologize and make excuses like, "I love the works of an old writer George Macdonald. His books are out of print but I can download the original text from Gutenberg and make my own Kindle file. I have EVERY SINGLE word he ever published on my Kindle in a separate collection. With my Kindle I'm always carrying around over 400 books. i can read whatever i'm in the mood for from Cheesy Space Opera to Dostoevsky to Stephen King and the text files are free for PD books and only 9.99 for most Modern Novels." (By then the eyes of most people are glazing over and I kow they aren't listening so I sort of just trail off...) Then they go, "Well you'll never catch me reading one of those things!" But the Oberon cover Always gets positive comments...

08-11-2010, 12:49 AM	#15
Teyrnon Groupie Posts: 190 Karma: 384 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Eastern United States Device: jetBook, Kindle DX, Kindle 3, Kindle Fire, Nook Simple Touch	The strangest reaction I've gotten was when an old acquaintance paid me a visit. She saw it on the table, visibly recoiled from it. After she regained her composure she asked me if I'd let her smash the "evil toy." After that I decided it was time to get her out of my house.