The Amazon Kindle Fire has created quite the headache for Amazon recently as customers and silicon valley experts alike have cried foul on the company’s newest tablet creation.
Among some of the biggest customer complains is the lack of an external volume control, an off button that is too simply to accidentally press, slow web page load times, Wi-Fi connectivity problems and absolutely no privacy controls. Also included in the complaints is a touch screen that has been called frequently hesitant and often balky.
While the Amazon Kindle Fire has received dozens of customer complains on their own official website the biggest blog may have come this week from respected usability expert Jakob Nielsen of Nielsen Norman Group who called the experience “disappointingly poor” with a frustratingly hard to use display.
In his official statement Nielsen noted:
“I feel the Fire is going to be a failure,” and “I can’t recommend buying it.”
With Amazon hedging the bets of their digital future on the Kindle line it’s likely that the company will offer fixes to most problems in the coming weeks, in a statement regarding customer sentiment company spokesman Drew Herdener noted:
“In less than two weeks, we’re rolling out an over-the-air update to Kindle Fire.”
Among improvements with that over-the-air product will be better multitouch navigation, the ability to edit the list of items that show what users have recently been doing and other issues.
Next up for Amazon will be an improved version of the device, a new unit that is expected to arrive in Spring 2012.
Even with horrible reviews and customer angry the company is expected to move three to five million Amazon Kindle Fire units this quarter, a number that Amazon increased despite negative reviews.
Have you purchased an Amazon Kindle Fire? Share your thoughts about the device with us in our comments section.