Kindle: the e-reader that split the digital book market
In 2010, $139 for a Kindle imported from the US. Formats, DRM, prices and conversions: the debate that defined the ebook in Spain.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Kindle: the e-reader that split the digital book market in Spain
In 2010, spending $139 on a Kindle 3 imported from the US was not just a tech purchase: it was a statement of principles. The buyer faced customs, proprietary formats and the suspicion that Amazon could remotely delete their books. Even so, the device became the object of desire for a generation of readers who were starting to tire of paper.
The format dilemma: epub or death?
The first big battleground in the debate was format. The Kindle did not read epub, the open standard, which made it for many a 'player that doesn't read mp3'. Its defenders countered that converting to mobi or prc took seconds with tools like Calibre, and that native pdf had its limitations on a 6-inch screen. "PDF isn't scalable," they warned, while others called the Kindle software "crap" and praised only its value for money.
Time has partially proved both sides right: epub became the standard, but Amazon managed to make its ecosystem (kindle store + whispernet) attractive enough that occasional conversion was not an obstacle. The controversy over DRM and the possibility of Amazon withdrawing purchased books remained an urban legend: there was only one case of a preloaded title removed by mistake.
From $139 to €79: the price race
Price was another front. The first buyer paid €145 —including cover— for a Kindle 3. Two years later, the basic model sold for €79, although the power adapter was paid separately, which some called a "disgrace". The arrival of the Kindle 4 and the Paperwhite —with illuminated screen and no physical buttons— broadened the audience, but also the competition: Nook, Kobo and Sony stood up with native epub support and similar prices.
A shared experience shows that a Kindle ordered on a Tuesday arrived on Thursday by UPS, with a total cost of €140 including customs. After-sales service was another factor: a broken Kindle was replaced in six days, with shipping costs refunded. "Their company revolves around the customer," they summed up.
The conversion of the paper romantic
The romantic argument —"paper is irreplaceable"— lost steam. Those who resisted eventually gave in: "It seems unbelievable given how opposed I was to e-books," confessed a convert, who noticed they read faster. The convenience of carrying hundreds of books on a 200-gram device outweighed the fetishism of the smell of ink.
But not everything was idyllic. Scanned PDFs, technical books with graphics and comics remained a weak point. For those uses, 10-inch tablets or large-format e-readers like the Kindle DX were presented as the real solution.
And the future? Tonalidad e-ink and paper that doesn't die
The thread, which spans years, records the arrival of tonalidad electronic ink for $440 and speculates about format standardization. It was predicted that "central servers intend to kill them off" (referring to mass downloads), but the reality was that the cloud and sharing between friends democratized access.
Today, anyone wanting to buy an e-reader faces a mature but less buoyant market than expected. Paper resists, multifunction tablets cannibalize part of the niche, and piracy —which was taken for granted as "ambrosia"— remains a tap Amazon has not managed to close completely. But the Kindle, despite its limitations, marked a before and after: it proved that reading digitally was not a heresy, but a matter of price and ecosystem.
Most shared
Related debates in the forum
In 2010, spending $139 on a Kindle 3 imported from the US was not just a tech purchase: it was a statement of principles. The buyer faced customs, proprietary formats and the suspicion that Amazon could remotely delete their books. Even so, the device became the object of desire for a generation of readers who were starting to tire of paper.
The format dilemma: epub or death?
The first big battleground in the debate was format. The Kindle did not read epub, the open standard, which made it for many a 'player that doesn't read mp3'. Its defenders countered that converting to mobi or prc took seconds with tools like Calibre, and that native pdf had its limitations on a 6-inch screen. "PDF isn't scalable," they warned, while others called the Kindle software "crap" and praised only its value for money.
Time has partially proved both sides right: epub became the standard, but Amazon managed to make its ecosystem (kindle store + whispernet) attractive enough that occasional conversion was not an obstacle. The controversy over DRM and the possibility of Amazon withdrawing purchased books remained an urban legend: there was only one case of a preloaded title removed by mistake.
From $139 to €79: the price race
Price was another front. The first buyer paid €145 —including cover— for a Kindle 3. Two years later, the basic model sold for €79, although the power adapter was paid separately, which some called a "disgrace". The arrival of the Kindle 4 and the Paperwhite —with illuminated screen and no physical buttons— broadened the audience, but also the competition: Nook, Kobo and Sony stood up with native epub support and similar prices.
A shared experience shows that a Kindle ordered on a Tuesday arrived on Thursday by UPS, with a total cost of €140 including customs. After-sales service was another factor: a broken Kindle was replaced in six days, with shipping costs refunded. "Their company revolves around the customer," they summed up.
The conversion of the paper romantic
The romantic argument —"paper is irreplaceable"— lost steam. Those who resisted eventually gave in: "It seems unbelievable given how opposed I was to e-books," confessed a convert, who noticed they read faster. The convenience of carrying hundreds of books on a 200-gram device outweighed the fetishism of the smell of ink.
But not everything was idyllic. Scanned PDFs, technical books with graphics and comics remained a weak point. For those uses, 10-inch tablets or large-format e-readers like the Kindle DX were presented as the real solution.
And the future? Tonalidad e-ink and paper that doesn't die
The thread, which spans years, records the arrival of tonalidad electronic ink for $440 and speculates about format standardization. It was predicted that "central servers intend to kill them off" (referring to mass downloads), but the reality was that the cloud and sharing between friends democratized access.
Today, anyone wanting to buy an e-reader faces a mature but less buoyant market than expected. Paper resists, multifunction tablets cannibalize part of the niche, and piracy —which was taken for granted as "ambrosia"— remains a tap Amazon has not managed to close completely. But the Kindle, despite its limitations, marked a before and after: it proved that reading digitally was not a heresy, but a matter of price and ecosystem.
Most shared
Related debates in the forum
- What do people call "bad sens"? · 69 replies
- 2026 Canada/Mexico/USA World Cup [official thread] (Part II) · 346 replies
- Official FC Barcelona thread - 2025/2026 season · 12233 replies
- UNA MANOLA, URGENT! SHOULD I PUT 10,000 MERKELS IN SPACE X? · 45 replies
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (901 replies).
More summaries
-
Real Madrid's Florentino turns to Mourinho after election warning
An unknown candidate named Riquelme wins 35% in Real Madrid elections, prompting Florentino to bring back Mourinho. Unrest shakes the empire.
-
James Wallestein's Shift to Patreon: Passion or Survival Strategy?
Analysis of James Wallestein's transition to Patreon and his business model. Is it passion or a survival strategy?
-
Football and Stereotypes: A Look at Football Culture
Analysis of football's evolution: nostalgia, stereotypes and cultural change in the sport
-
The 'ignore thread' phenomenon: worshiping nothing in online communities
A thread with 501 replies where the most substantial post is a 'Weeeeell': the cult of nothing that reveals how digital tribes form.
-
From Brandenburg to Vivaldi: the classical canon that never gets old
The classical canon is organized by catalogue numbers: from Bach's Brandenburg BWV 1047 to Vivaldi, including several versions of Mozart's Requiem.
-
Progressive Rock: Between Cult Status and the 'Weird' Label
Analysis of progressive rock: cult culture or just a 'weird' label? The tensions between classics and new releases are explored.