I'm Not an iPad Technophile: Kindle Made Certain of That

I read with interest some comments in this New York Times story today. Specifically, the following quote drew my attention.

"The people who have already ordered an iPad or will show up at the Apple store on Saturday “are technophiles — the phrase ‘leading-edge technology’ sends goosebumps all over their skin,” said Eitan Muller, a professor of high-tech marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

I take issue with Eitan Muller's comment because I am not a "technophile."

To be honest, I'm not typically an early adopter of much.  If anything, I am a skeptic and play it conservatively until I'm certain that a product or service has the "standing power" I desire.  I spend my money wisely and prefer quality in the product and the experience.  I'm not interested in being a guinea pig on new products--most of the time.

But the iPad is different.  From the day I learned how to download apps on my iPod Touch, I've always thought a larger version of that platform would be ideal. And now, Apple is delivering.

The kicker for me was the Kindle App for the iPod touch. I remember shopping on Amazon for a Kindle.  The price was about $300 dollars and the Kindle looked clunky and "experimental". I wasn't looking to be an "early adopter".  THEN, I found the iPod Touch app for Kindle for FREE. That was an easy decision. Save the money, download the free app, and test the experience. (A pretty conservative approach).

After downloading two or three books, I was hooked on the Kindle App. As a matter of fact, that app solidified my desire for a larger version of the Touch as an alternative reader platform.  I believe, unwittingly, that Amazon, through the Kindle App, helped convince me to not buy the actual Kindle, and instead desire what I am supposed to receive via UPS on Saturday.

I'm pumped by the WSJ story today (and this updated blog post confirming Kindle is in the app store-thanks to @KindleEmily on Twitter), referring to the fact that Amazon is making an iPad Kindle app to sell me books. Sure, I'll try the Apple iBook app, but I think Steve Jobs knows that people like me will probably use the Kindle app when it is available.

Until then, I hope Steve and the gang will let me use my iPod Touch Kindle app on my iPad. We'll see.

Meanwhile, the speculation that "technophiles" are the majority of the early iPad adopters, I believe, is dead wrong.  Amazon made sure of that.