When Amazon got into the ebook business with the Kindle, I thought that the dam was about to burst. I thought that Amazon would be like Apple: a little late to the game, but ready to completely change the game. I was wrong.

Unlike Apple, Amazon allowed itself to be bullied by the publishing industry. Restrictions on the Kindle hobble the device. Instead of creating an environment that could turn ebooks into the same kind of commodity as MP3’s, Amazon has created a closed environment filled with loopholes and exceptions and restrictive DRM. Sure, Apple had DRM on the first iPods, but they didn’t hamper your ability to get regular MP3’s onto the device.

I fantasized that somebody would give me a Kindle as a gift. I have no idea how it’d work here since there’s no Whispernet. But I was willing to give it a try. I’ve seen the Kindle and played with it. It’s a great ebook device (and I’ve tried many, many ebook devices). It’s got so much potential, I weep when I think about how Amazon has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

David Pogue of the New York Times has an excellent take on the decision made by Amazon to reach out and remotely delete content that users had purchased. For me, their actions are a deal breaker. I’ll now never own a Kindle, and I know a lot of people who feel the same way. Amazon made a serious blunder and then compounded it with a wishy-washy statement that said, essentially, that they would try hard to avoid doing that again. Not that they won’t do it again. Just that they’ll avoid it. Not enough, Amazon. Not by a long shot.

Further, the fact that they were able to reach out to Kindles and remove content implies powers beyond what I want them to have. What happens when the publishing industry leans on Amazon enough to get them to remove any content that doesn’t have Kindle’s DRM? Can Amazon do that? Technically, they can. Morally, they’ve demonstrated that they’re willing to consider it.

That’s a risk I’m not going to take. I’ll never own a Kindle, Amazon. Not at any price.