Since discovering that the Kindle DX will not be available in Canada, I have started hunting for information about why this is the case.  Ken Coates for the Toronto Star has an idea on the subject. He writes:

In truth, the most serious problem rests with uncritical and undemanding consumers. Save for a tiny number of tech fanatics, few Canadians have even an inkling about what is going on with the digital media in other countries. When news hits of a Kindle-type innovation, Canadians accept the inevitable delays with quiet resignation. There is no groundswell of protest, no demands that companies provide Canadians with goods and services widely available outside the country, and no pressure on retailers, producers and governments to remove technology logjams. (Toronto Star, March 15, 2009. A.15)

It’s true that Canadians were late to gain access to digital video recording (DVR) technology such as TiVo. When the iPhone came out, we watched with interest, but didn’t speak up.

Really, anyone might have felt silly “speaking up” for access to TiVo and the iPhone. We’d feel like kids at the grown-up store asking for toys. Citizen wanna watch more TV? Wanna play games on the phone-toy?

Well, this citizen wants access to “every book ever printed, in any language, all available in less than 60 seconds” (Amazon). I want it on a non-blinding, comfortably large screen, and it should be light enough to carry with ease.

I know it’s more complex. I’m sure there are competing products by Sony. I’m sure Amazon has to convince a Canadian wireless provider that e-commerce is a good business idea. Maybe Canadian publishers are nervous about the transition?

Change is frightening, but that’s an inadequate reason to resist it. The Kindle is making more noise than its competitors because it is wireless, so access to literature of all kinds is unprecedented. It has the unique ability to provide a huge library for sale very cheaply everywhere within WiFi coverage. It’s not just a luxury item - not in the same way as a DVR or an iPhone. It’s a vehicle for literacy, for pleasure, yes, but also for education. The Kindle presents a big change - and it could provide immeasurable benefits

Am I really, really called to explain the benefits of literacy, to the individual and to society?  This one is important.  It’s not a DVR. We shouldn’t remain quietly patient. This is all books everywhere, available to anyone with a Kindle, or with access to a Kindle.

As Ken Coates writes,

This country needs a consumer revolution - loud, persistent and determined - in which companies and regulators are challenged to make Canada a creative force in digital media. (Toronto Star, March 15, 2009. A.15)

Canadians, rise up! The Kindle belongs in the Canadian market!

If you agree, sign our petition expressing your interest in and support for the Kindle DX in Canada. It’s a petition for Canadians, by Canadians. Grass-rootsy, and all that.

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