That pretty much seems to be the Kindle QUESTION in 2010. Because of competing digital readers and of course, the omni-potent and all mighty Apple iPad, Apple iSlate (or whatever it ends up being called), many are proclaiming that it should do more or BE MORE than a digital book reader.

But why?

It’s clear that Kindle owners don’t want it to BE MORE. They simply want to READ BOOKS through the Amazon device. Read below two quotes from the recent article posted on PC World.

The Kindle is NOT competing with the iPad. The Kindle is not intended to be a computer. It’s a book. A BOOK. BOOOOK. Read my lips. BOOOOK. I didn’t buy a Kindle to read email, play games, mess with Facebook, or do my bank statements on. I want a simple reliable device that I use to disappear into novels. I do NOT want it to do 1000 other things. Why is this so hard for tech journalists to understand?

I totally agree with this comment. Technies just do not get it. I love my Kindle. I read a lot of books. The Kindle makes it easier for me to read books, which I love to do. Reading books on the Kindle is superior to reading books on a computer or in a real live book. If I can also do a few other things on my Kindle, that is nice, but not necessary. I would NOT want my Kindle to mimic a computer. I have a smart phone and a computer for that.

What telling quotes. And these come from Kindle owners. Those who buy and use the device for its intended purpose, which is “to read”.

There’s talk lately about Amazon adding development for Kindle apps, which would mean things like:

• Games
• Photos
• Music
• Shopping
• Social Networking Tools
• and much more

Do Kindle owners want all this extra functionality? It’s clear they don’t. And it’s also clear the biggest appeal is the e-ink display. Not the flash and dash of say, an iPhone screen or other smartphone screen.

Question?

Are you excited about the announcement from Amazon, regarding Kindle apps? Or will “these apps” just become a distraction from the reading?