Amazon just released the new Kindle Paperwhite. So, why is the company already fielding a number of consumer complaints? It seems as though Amazon didn’t put a whole lot of thought into perfecting the new Kindle before the device was released. Currently, Amazon is admitting that the Paperwhite has some issue. What kinds of issues?

Firstly, the Paperwhite doesn’t light up properly. When using the device, consumers have noticed some lighting issues. These issues are big enough to distract a reader mid-sentence. Other problems are really a lack of features that some consumers didn’t anticipate. The issue here is that Amazon is fully admitting to these problems, without offering any form of an apology.

Lacking A Bit of This and a Lot of That…

Previous Kindles included text-to-speech options. The current Paperwhite does not. Amazon has told press that the lack of text-to-speech was intentional. In fact, the company claims that eliminating this feature in addition to an audio feature make the Paperwhite thinner and lighter. But, not only does the Paperwhite not have text-to-speech or audio, it also comes with a much smaller storage size. The current Paperwhite has 2GB of storage. The former Kindle had 4GB of storage. Seemingly, Amazon wasn’t so clear about this fact when the Paperwhite was released and sold.

Amazon probably didn’t mean to mislead consumers. But, the company didn’t make the Kindle’s newer features, and lack of some features, clear. So, those who didn’t read all about the new Paperwhite were more than a little bit surprised. Add to this surprise the fact that the new Kindle has lighting issues, and you’ve got a PR problem.

Let There Be Some Light, Sometimes

When holding the Kindle Paperwhite in certain light, the bottom of the screen appears odd. Specifically, the lighting on the bottom part of the screen appears faded in some spots and lighter in others. Instead of admitting to this problem and offering a quick fix, Amazon has issued a press release stating that the lighting issue is “normal,” and that it’s to be expected. Amazon also says that the current Kindle, in its current condition, is much better than previous versions. So, basically, Amazon is telling consumers that they should be happy with the improved Kindle, or something like that

If you currently own a Paperwhite and aren’t happy with it, there’s not a heck of a lot that you can do. Amazon says that lighting problem won’t bother readers while using the Paperwhite, though many consumers have said that the opposite is true. You can try your luck at returning the device to whatever store it came from, but you can’t argue manufacturer’s defect because this manufacturer isn’t standing behind the defect. To be fair, though, the Paperwhite is still a great little reader. It’s also still a reader that many consumers are actually loving right now. Should you rush out and buy one? Only if you’ve read this article and understand what the Paperwhite is lacking, and what you’ll see when you turn out the lights.