Is Kindle most attractive to older readers?

[Riverrun]

Just to add in on this discussion: I'm 71 and have recently bought my first Kindle (the 'kindle' or as some call it 'kindle 4' - the $109 item. I'm utterly enamoured of it! Did I read when I was younger? You bet - never went anywhere (except maybe the occasional party) without a book - 'just in case' I had time to read another page or chapter. That has continued throughout life. I love the actual artifact - the 'real' book - but from now on when away from hom, and sometimes at home too, it's Kindle for me: light, easy to use and you need never run out of reading material. Not an age issue, I think, but whether or not one is in the habit of reading _a lot_. YMMV.

[Annie]

I think it's all about the level of the person's interest in having a device simply to read books. For example, I consider myself a pretty simplistic person. I like to have my phone as my phone (I don't put music or games on there), my iPod for music only (which is why I have the Classic and not the iTouch), and my Kindle as my reading device. I know quite a few kids from all ages younger than college (I have tutored math and reading) who have wanted a Kindle. My brother is one of those people, and I'm actually getting him one for Christmas. He just turned 9 this November. He loves to read, and while he has an iTouch, he doesn't like reading on it. He also doesn't like carrying around a bunch of DTBs. That's one of the reasons I got a Kindle was because I liked having more than one book at a time, especially if I'm traveling. I tend to read a lot when I'm traveling. There's just usually too much waiting involved, which is the perfect time to break it out. Needless to say, I got my Kindle in high school, and I love every bit of it to death. Just my two cents.

[mooshie78]

I used to be all about the single purpose gadgets.  But getting an iPhone a month or so back has really changed my tune on that.  I still have multiple gadgets and still use them.  But I love having a nice all in one gadget that I can carry around in my pocket.  Us guys don't have the luxury of a purse to lug around multiple things when out and about!

At home I'll read on my Kindle, in the gym I prefer my small Nano on an armband etc.  So I do still feel having the best gadget for the job is ideal when portability isn't a concern.   But when out and about I love that I can listen to music, read kindle books, read newspapers, check my e-mail, surf the net, play games and various other things on a gadgets small enough to carry around in my pants pocket.

[valleycat1]

According to the last Target TV ad I saw, I'd say, definitely! (70-80 year old woman opens gift from husband, it's a Kindle, she smooches him so long & hard they both toss/drop their gifts & screen fades to Target's logo.)

[malligator]

Just going off the general population of forums like kindleboards I'd say Kindle readers are older and generally female. That said, I know plenty of young people with eReaders. My 25 yo coworker bought a Nook. Then he bought his girlfriend one. Then his dad bought everyone a Nook for Christmas last year. I also know a young Navy Corpsman that adores his Kindle. If there is one thing I learned in my time in the Navy it's that fresh reading material is as valuable as food, air, and water so if/when I upgrade I'll be sending my K3 to a service member overseas.

[ETS PRESS]

I mentioned that I'm interested in getting a Kindle Fire. My 18 year old son asked if he could have my Kindle if I did get the KF. My daughter hates to read (the bane of my existence), but when she had to read Jane Eyre for school, she preferred using my Kindle over the actual book. She said she liked that the text was bigger  (and she has 20/20 vision). I definitely like that the text is bigger! I just ordered one for my mom, and I'm thinking about getting one for hubby. I would love to get Kindle Fires for my kids for Christmas, but I'm not sure how much they would appreciate it at this point. The downside is that it doesn't have 3G. It it did, I would probably go for it.

[KenJones]

The one stand out feature for me (aged 56) is font size. Many times I have not bought a book in print because of the print size and layout.
The Kindle has overcome this issue for me. So I can read what I want.

Ken

[C.S. Einfeld]

Kids love gadgets.

So, if you have a kid who loves books AND gadgets, it only makes sense that s/he'll think the Kindle is the cat's meow.  Especially the full color Fire.  And, once it's purchased, the books are so much cheaper that, if you have an avid reader, it ends up being cheaper, in the end. 

[BTackitt]

I loaned my brand new Fire to my 20 yo son for 5 days when he flew to San Francisco to see my grandmother. He ... hated it... couldn't wait to get home and back to his K3.

[pkbrent]

IMO the Kindle appeals to all age groups.  I find it particularly convenient when I'm travelling.

PKBrent

[CrystalStarr]

Every time I read the title to this thread I think... "I'm going to be 34 in a few weeks.  My kindles never leave my side. Does this mean I'm getting old?"

[patrickt]

I always enjoy buying devices where the instruction manual is heavier than the device by a factor of 20. I was looking at a watch a few weeks ago with the instructions, just in English, going over 80 pages. I never figured out how to make it read my heart rate but I suspect the old ticker was clicking away out of frustration. I passed a show for cell phones and walked in. I asked for one that just made phone calls. No camera. No GPS. No MP3. No games. No luck.

I thoroughly enjoyed my K3 and now my Kindle Basic.

[BTackitt]

patrickt, look up the Jitterbug phone. large numberpad, and nothing but phone calls.

[C.S. Einfeld]

BTackett, I just have to say: Your avi is AWESOME!

[mooshie78]

It's easy enough to ignore the extra features on a "dumb" cell phone and just use it for calls.  They're free with cell phone service contracts anyway--and pretty cheap options for pay as you go as well.  So it's not like you're paying extra for features you won't use.  Nor is answering and placing phone calls any more complicated because the phone has a camera or mp3 player option.

You just press send (or open a flip phone) to answer.  Dial the number and press send to call.  No more complicated than it was on cell phones before they added cameras etc.  Using the extra features is more complicated--but if you have no interest in them then you don't need to learn how to use them anyway.

[BTackitt]

I have all options turned off on my cell... no texts, no web. can't turn off the camera, but I don't use it.

[mooshie78]

To each their own I guess! 

I love my iPhone and all the stuff it can do when I'm on the go.  I use the other stuff far more than the phone features as I'm not all that social and don't have that many people I enjoy talking to on a regular basis.  So it just gets used for calling the girlfriend and family for the most part.  Outings with friends tend to get arranged via e-mail, texts and facebook.

The resistance to cell phone camera's is an odd one though IMO, unless you all are people who just don't care about taking pictures in general.  It can't replace a separate camera by any means (though today's smart phones do have pretty decent cameras), but still handy for taking a quick picture of something neat you see while out and about that you want to show your signficant other or whatever and don't have a real camera with you.

[C.S. Einfeld]

now, reading on your iphone is an acquired skill, I think.  Such a tiny screen!  And, the glare.  I suppose if I was desperate, but I do think I'd prefer an ereader for reading a whole book.

[mooshie78]

I wouldn't want to read on my iPhone for hours (though that's something I rarely do period) by any means.

But a 3.5" screen isn't that small, and I don't find glare to be an issue as I don't read in the sun or anything.  If you meant the backlighting rather than reflective glare, thankfully that doesn't bother me.  I've never had issues with computer screens or reading on my iPad or iPhone thankfully.  But some people do for sure.

The iPhone is just my read a little here and there when out and about device as it's always in my pocket.  I seldom have a bag to carry my Kindle or iPad around when out and about.

[C.S. Einfeld]

sounds like probably I just need to get a better phone!