Kindle DX Gets Dropped by Business School

When Amazon released Kindle DX to the market, it was optimistic about its future, especially among college students. While the device is a bit more expensive than its smaller sibling, it does have the potential to save students some money when it comes to college books. Besides, it’s much more convenient to carry around than those heavy college books. Unfortunately, it seems Kindle DX is not being greeted with that much excitement by students. The Darden Business School at the University of Virginia, which has run a trial on Kindle DX, is prepared to conclude that Kindle DX may not be the right option for its students. One can’t force students to pick up such an expensive device when they are not into using it.

With close to 80% of UVA’s students giving the device the thumbs done as an academic tool, there is no doubt Amazon has some work to do to improve Kindle DX. Ars Technica was able to get an update from the university’s MBA director, Michael Koenig:

What that says to me is that Amazon created a very well-designed consumer device for purchasing and reading digital books, magazines and newspapers. It’s not yet ready for prime time in the highly engaged Darden business school classroom.

There are multiple reasons behind Kindle DX failing to generate enough excitement among university students. For starters, people are still not ready to completely ditch paper books for e-readers. It takes some getting used to as it’s a big chance. But resistance to change can’t explain all that has been happening with Amazon Kindle family. Amazon is one of the most innovative companies around, but it seems the company has not listened properly to its target audience, which is why all these universities are dropping Kindle left and right.

The reading needs of a college student are a lot different than those of novel fans, business professionals, and everyone else for that matter. Kindle DX seemed as though it was rushed to the market a tad bit too early a year ago. It has not gotten too much better since then. These college trials should be an eye opener for Amazon. Let’s hope the company learns its lessons this time around.