It drives me crazy that there are such a large percentage of Amazon "hate posts" on this forum. Some people just can't talk about anything without throwing in an ugly comment about Amazon. It's like a witch hunt around here.
In the short time I've been here the "1984 incident" has been brought up more times than I can count. Customers got their money back, right? People act like this ruined their lives or something. Seriously, get your priorities straight!
I haven't seen one mention of all the dozens of mistakes that have been made in their favor. I've gotten about 20 free books that were temporarily listed as free by mistake ... which Amazon stands by and sends the ebook for free even if it was a pre-order. And, of course, they have intentional free promos with enough books to keep many people in good reads without paying a dime.
Another big gripe people (who don't even have a Kindle so it shouldn't even matter to them) keep bringing up is that Kindle can't read library books. Well HORROR OF HORRORS - Big fat stinkin' deal! There is enough free reading available legally without most libraries' very limited selection of eBooks anyway. Besides, anyone with an IQ over 70 can use Calibre to make this happen if it's that important to them. And if you must use a library and will not use Calibre, then DON'T BUY A KINDLE!
Another gripe is "Amazon spies on people". Yes, Amazon tracks your purchases just like any other retailer when you have an online account with them. SOOOOO?? They make recommendations based on what you have bought and looked at in the past. SOOOO??? You don't have to buy it!!!
As far as Amazon reading your personal Kindle documents ....
And even if they did, do you really care? The only reasons I can think of that people get so worked up about this is if they have child porn or terrorist documents on their Kindle.
Another big one "Amazon has geo-restrictions". Yeah, so does everyone else. It's not up to the retailer.
I haven't seen this hater mentality towards any other retailers. Nobody puts up a post and then throws in a derogatory comment about B&N, Borders, or any other eReader.
Bottom line - If you are an Amazon hater then, by all means, do NOT buy a Kindle. Buy the eReader of your choice and MOVE ON WITH YOUR LIFE.
