Will Amazon Truly Become the Next iPod Without a redesign?

I have been struggling to answer this question. Amazon Kindle is a wonderful device. The fact that you can read books, listen to music, access the Internet, and even send e-mails from it makes it a steal at $359. But I have heard too many complaints (such as this one) to believe that an “ugly” & “black and white” Kindle can ever steal the hearts of everyday folks.

We need to be realistic here. Amazon Kindle is a very young device, and Kindle 2.0 and Kindle 3.0 will be much better. In fact, if you compare the first generation iPod with first generation Kindle, there is simply no competition. But the difference in my opinion is marketing. Apple marketed the first generation iPod as a device that you’d die without.

Is Kindle the best it can be? Not even close. But we are talking about a first generation device. I’d say we will see the first decent Kindle in 2 years. But Kindle is good enough as it is right now.

Your take: Are the complaints against Kindle justified?