This thread features some of the most blatant cases of 'fanboi-ism' i've come across.
That last post of KoboNo's was actually his/her best post of the issues to date i must say. I also agree with most of what was said.
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Originally Posted by HamsterRage
First off, my guess would be that the vast - like 99.9% of the people who bought the original Kobo - had absolutely no interest doing anything other than reading text based books. So for them, the newspaper issue is just noise.
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So bad luck for anyone purchasing with the view of having these features implemented soon after?
Err... ok.
It's a bit like buying a car and them telling you it doesn't have a stereo, but it will in two weeks only for you to still be waiting for your stereo now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HamsterRage
You've repeatedly accused Kobo of being dishonest. You did that in the post I quoted above. I think you're wrong there. Here's what I think: Kobo honestly planned to implement those features when they started out. The launch in Canada surprised them by selling out in 3 days. Then Amazon not only slashed the prices on the Kindle a week or so after the US launch of the Kobo, they even came out with a stripped down model that undercut the Kobo price. Don't think it would reasonable to expect Kobo to have anticipated that.
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So an overstretched business, poor planning and product competition is a valid excuse for not delivering? Really?
I'm about one step away from selling those cars without stereos!
Quote:
Originally Posted by HamsterRage
So at some point, it became way more important to Kobo's survival to get a new model out on the market. Otherwise they were dead. So I can forgive them for concentrating on that.
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Well if you can then everyone else should fall into line. Step to people!!
I personally think it was poor form and i also think the new model is the barest of upgrades; i think the new model was a correction of their previous mistakes (like bluetooth implementation; whoever thought of that should punch themselves) and a slightly better screen.
It's a Kobo 1.5 at best. At worst it was what the 1st gen should've been and now that all their time and effort has been spent on the 'new' version, the 1st gen will be quickly left behind (read: upcoming firmware release will be the last).
Quote:
Originally Posted by HamsterRage
I don't think they've ever lied to us. I think they've made mistakes. I think they've missed deadlines.
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Agreed
Can you understand how that would frustrate (or in the case of KoboNo, infuriate) some?
Quote:
Originally Posted by HamsterRage
But the truth is that the 1st gen readers have been perfectly good totally basic devices ever since they released that first firmware release. Perfect? No, but perfectly good for what they are.
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Yep... would've been a lot better with the features that were '2 weeks away' as well.
Marketing and support fail on that front i'm afraid.
They're a perfectly good, cheap reader i suppose... if you want an eink 7" screen then you're set, as long as you don't want all of that 7" used by the book you're reading.
It is what it is; cheap.
You can praise, excuse and blindly-accept all you like but the fact is they cocked up with the first gen, they're cocking up with the second gen from what i'm reading on here and they're struggling to keep up.
Can i understand their problem? Of course.
Do i accept it as a valid excuse for a business providing a product and service? No.
Hire more people, do what it takes to sort your shit out... if you're going to expand into a industry (and a second device clearly indicates that they want to be a continuing force in the ereader and ebook world) then you have to risk an outlay at some point.
The small business defence is gone for them, because if they don't realise it they aren't just a small business anymore.