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I almost never download samples any more. Even when they contain a reasonable amount of content, it just seems a very inefficient way to discover things to read or even to track what I'm interested in reading. I found I had dozens of samples and never found the opportunity to read them, and they just cluttered up my reading device. Or I'd read a sample, think "I love this, but I have all this other stuff I'm reading now, I'm not ready to buy", and realize I'd just wasted an hour or reading time because I'd want to re-read from the beginning if and when I got around to buying the book.
Now I just put everything on a wish list and review that from time to time as a separate and focussed activity, usually with my laptop (sometimes using Look Inside, etc.). I can review this list more efficiently and quickly than plowing through samples, and the rest of the time I can just concentrate on what I've already started to read. I think my 'conversion rate' is a little higher since I started using wish lists, as I have more awareness when there is a price drop, and I have all the information I want at hand so it is easier to come to a decision.
Also (though I've only used it a couple of times) it is easy to return something for a refund with Amazon if it doesn't meet expectations.
So while I agree that samples often don't have ANY usefulness because there's no content in them, I would go further and say they can't be improved to the point where I would use them routinely.
BTW I think samples are just generated automatically and arbitrarily (just 'first 10%' in most cases). There is all sorts of advice about how to arrange the content of an ebook so the sample has some usefulness as a selling tool, and it probably does help to give this a little thought, but it's a small part of successful marketing IMO.
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