Amazon has a system that has been around for a few years and usually is under the radar. It is called “We Want You To Know.” This message is underneath the main bullet points of a product. They developed this with their own devices in mind and are ducking from all negative reviews for specific hardware and accessories, such as the Kindle Colorsoft. Colorsoft received the message, “A small number of customers have reported a yellow band along the bottom of the display. We take the quality of our products seriously—customers who notice this can reach out to our customer service team for a replacement or refund, and we’re making the appropriate adjustments to ensure that new devices will not experience this issue moving forward.”
Negative reviews have overwhelmingly destroyed the Kindle Colorsoft. There are 1500 reviews, with an average rating of 2.7 stars. Everyone calls out the yellow bar at the bottom of the screen, distracting from the reading experience. This has Amazon to put a message front and centre, letting customers know about the current situation.
Amazon has also put a message on their Premium Leather Cover for the Colorsoft. “Our Premium Leather Cover develops a natural patina and may mark with use. It arrives with an authentic scent from the leather tanning process. These characteristics are normal for high-quality leather and ensure your cover tells your one-of-a-kind reading journey.” The case has 113 ratings with three stars, and everyone complains about it scratching quickly.
Good e-Reader Wants You To Know That Colorsoft is the worst launch Amazon has ever made with any Kindle e-reader. The device is not shipping to customers and likely won’t until the yellow bar is fixed, either with a software update or a new production run. Customers in the United States will likely not receive a new Colorsoft until 2025.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
