Amazon decided to be refreshingly upfront when faced with a growing number of complaints pertaining to the new Kindle Paperwhite. As you may know, the Paperwhite is the first Kindle to have a self-illuminating screen that lets you read in the dark without a separate accessory.
However, as more and more people begin to use the new device, complaints have been turning up in Amazon forums, specifically targeting the uneven lighting provided by the device under certain conditions.
A quick Google search of “Kindle Paperwhite problems” turns up a wide range of screen issues:
“Noticed the screen had ‘light spots’ all over the display, think looking at the night sky and seeing the stars.”
“I have a bright spot on mine too, as well as annoying screen blotches. I’m sending it back for a refund instead of getting on the replacement merry-go-round.”
“This is my first kindle and so far I’m disappointed. The dark spots are bothersome and I don’t like how blue the ‘white’ is.”
But rather than ignore the public’s complaints, Amazon decided to address the issues head-on through a public statement. The online retailer acknowledged the Paperwhite can produce uneven illumination when used improperly in particular lighting conditions. However, Amazon defended themselves, saying the unevenness only affected a small portion of the screen that didn’t hold text anyway. Amazon also included examples of how the screen should look in various lighting scenarios and offered advice for optimal settings.
Other users found issue with the 2GB of storage available on the Paperwhite, a 50 percent reduction when compared to previous models that shipped with 4GB. Amazon claims the 2GB of storage is enough to hold 1,100 books in your local library, pointing out that additional books are stored in the cloud for free.
And when faced with complaints about the lack of audio and speech-to-text available on the Paperwhite, Amazon said it was omitted to make the device thinner and lighter. It was also quick to bring attention to the Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD‘s support of both features.
Whether the Paperwhite’s issues stem from the limits of its technology or oversights by the company, we respect that Amazon has acknowledged the shortcomings of its newest device. You can read the full statement below:
Kindle Paperwhite is the best Kindle we’ve ever made by far, but there are certain limitations and changes from prior generations that we want you to know about. Kindle Paperwhite does not have audio or Text-to-Speech. This makes the device smaller and lighter than it would otherwise be. Audio and an improved Text-to-Speech engine are supported on Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD.
Under certain lighting conditions, the illumination at the bottom of the screen from the built-in light is not perfectly even. See examples of how the screen looks in different lighting conditions. These variations are normal and are located primarily in the margin where text is not present. The illumination is more even than that created by a book light or lighted cover. The contrast, resolution and illumination of the Paperwhite display is a significant step-up from our prior generation.
The Kindle Paperwhite has 2 GB of storage. Some previous Kindle models had 4GB of storage. 2GB allows you to hold up to 1,100 books locally on your device. In addition, your entire Kindle library is stored for free in the Amazon cloud, and you can easily move books from the cloud onto your device.
Do you have a Kindle Paperwhite? Have you had any issues with it or is it performing as expected?
Refreshingly upfront? Directly addresses problems? Seriously, how can you make these claims? Amazon’s huge promotion for the Paperwhite repeatedly stressed the perfection and perfectly even illumination of the screen. Their product photos–even now, after all the complaints–show a Paperwhite screen in a darkened room that is pure white with perfectly even lighting from edge to edge, which is simply not how it looks.
It was only AFTER being swamped by complaints and requests for exchanges and refunds that Amazon posted its, “Oh, by the way, forget what we’ve been saying about ‘perfect’ ” message–and they buried it a couple of click-throughs behind the main product pages. And they’ve addressed nothing head-on or otherwise–they just declared that the flawed version of a product they had promoted and pictured as perfect was now considered “normal.” Which conveniently relieves them from having to exchange units any longer for these problems: “You say you have shadows at the bottom of your screen? And the white screen actually looks bluish? Sorry, I can’t send you a replacement because what you’re describing is normal operation. Check our website because it says so.”
It’s ok to complain about the uneven illumination.
It’s not ok to complain about the memory, text-to-speech, or any other features unless if was missing features in the official specs. Sure, I can go complain that the new kindle lacks a retina screen and a nuclear power source but what good does it do?
I don’t have a paper white but I am on my 3rd kindle fire.
Really!? What issues have you run into?
The two times they replaced it had quit charging. So far the 3rd one seems to be working alright.
I bought my first 2 kindles for my partner and myself. All I can say is yukkkk. I opened the first one and the screen was blotchy. Thought it must be faulty and I was just unlucky. Opened the 2nd and although not as bad still very annoying. Both going back and sticking with my iPad even if it is back lit rather than e-ink.
The big problem Amazon has not addressed is how many people are having issues connecting the paperwhite to wi-fi. I have been getting tons of responses to the complaint I posted about the device either not picking up our network or sending me error messages about my password being wrong. I spent hours with their tech support and every solution was the same “reset your device and it will work”. Or check your router… Not so, it never worked and I ended up sending it back for a refund. The same thing happened with the first kindle fire. This is getting ridiculous and Amazon needs to pay attention to complaints and fix the problems. Why should customers have to mess with a router for one device when everything else in the house works? The other issue I have is why should I pay more for a device without all the annoying “special features” than the one that gives me annoying adds about what it thinks I like to see?