Saving the Newspaper: The Amazon Kindle DX
Aside from being a revolutionary gadget that is taking reading to unexplored levels, the Kindle DX now has another important role: that of a savior to the ailing newspaper industry. Subscription plunged to such low levels that even the most respected papers have had to fold-up or make huge cuts in the budget, laying off people, removing other sections of the paper, or even coming out less frequently. Some of the bigger organizations such as the New York Times now publish online versions of the printed paper, and most of them have also taken to having digital versions that can be read through the Kindle.
Some claim that this is a change that the newspaper industry can take advantage of. We have been getting our news from the published printed paper since first and last edition of Publick Occurrences Both Foreign and Domestick in 1690. Now, with the advent of technology, the printed paper is trying to stay with the new trends. This a development that is unstoppable and the papers would find it difficult to say no. To go with the trends would be a good thing to do and would help them acquire more readers. In doing this, papers might just help in getting good numbers again when it comes to subscriptions.
On the other hand, there are also those who don’t quite agree with the move of creating e-versions of newspapers for the Kindle DX. Publications who want to retain readership have already turned to publishing online versions of the paper and earn money from site advertisers. So why then would people pay just to have Kindle versions of the same stuff that they can find online for free? Those who see the logic in this argument believe that having subscriptions sold for the Amazon Kindle DX would be a waste of time, effort, and resources on the publisher concerned, and could be the last straw that may bring about the demise of the industry. Already, blogs, which is considered pseudo-journalism, are becoming a good source of news.
Still, it would be interesting to see how readers will react if more publishers come up with newspapers in Kindle DX format that subscribers can receive on a regular basis. Will this perhaps reignite interest in newspapers in general, and turn around the dwindling fortunes of the newspaper industry? With the Kindle considered as a revolutionary device in the world of reading, as touted by most Amazon Kindle DX reviews, it could possibly improve the state of the newspaper industry. One thing that the papers are doing to give added value to Kindle subscribers is to offer live updates, making news more accessible, even without a computer or internet connection. Just imagine waking up in the morning, turning on your Kindle DX, and then finding fresh news.
We really can’t say if Amazon Kindle DX will be able to save the newspaper industry, but to whatever degree or extent, this might be the only chance they could take advantage of.
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Tags: Amazon kindle, amazon kindle dx, computers, ebook reading device, kindle DX, portable ebook reader, publishing, technology