Kindle
Strategic Concepts & Mechanics
Primary Evidence
"George would time his visits to eat sushi with his wife’s absence, so he was always alone at the counter. It seemed he didn’t know what to do with himself. Every time, he would bring a paperback into the store, and at some point, this changed to Amazon.com’s e-book device, the “Kindle.” It was the year the Kindle was released, so this was 2007. When George was sitting at the counter reading a book on the Kindle, another customer sitting next to him started a conversation. When this customer asked, “How’s the new Kindle?” George began speaking as if to say “I’m glad you asked.” “Not very good. It’s hard to use. I wonder if the people who made the Kindle understand what reading is,” he said, and he quickly began proposing his own “Kindle improvement ideas.” The masterpiece moment was that Greg Zaar, who was sitting next to George at the time, was the person in charge of Kindle development."
"Until that day in 2007, we didn’t really know what Greg was doing. It just so happened that George, who was using a Kindle at the counter, sat next to him, and through their conversation, the mystery was quickly solved. Greg found an enthusiastic Kindle user, and I remember the conversation between the two that night was quite lively. I think it was an amusing scene to witness. When I recall the image of Greg, who hid his identity and listened earnestly to George’s complaints, it still makes me chuckle. Incidentally, George promptly purchased the second-generation Kindle when it was released, and his dinner companion during his wife’s absence became the new e-book device. He seemed satisfied, saying “The points I made were properly improved.”"