Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I wanted to like the new Kindle Paperwhite. I tend to read my Kindle books on my iPhone and was looking for a little bit larger screen and also a device that wouldn't be a total loss if it were to get damaged at the beach, by the pool, etc. (vs. my actual phone that contains much more than just the Kindle software). I first purchased the new Paperwhite at a local Best Buy store. Upon opening it and powering it on there were very noticeable "specks" underneath the top layer of the screen. These were not visible when the display light was off, but as soon as the light was on, even at its lowest setting, these spots would become visible. The best way I can describe it is that there is some type of dust or other imperfection that is between the top layer of the screen where the light is and the screen itself. When the light turns on it hits these specks from the side and causes bright white spots to appear on the display. Since these bright white spots were right in the middle of the display they were right in the middle of each page of the book. I returned the first Paperwhite to Best Buy and decided that I would just buy it directly from Amazon because I figured Amazon would be better able to support their own product in case I got another one with this flaw. I ordered the second Paperwhite from Amazon and when it arrived I was disappointed to find that it too had the same issue. This time the specks were a little lower on the screen than before. I contact Amazon support to have the item exchanged. Amazon requires that you actually call and speak to somebody before returning or exchanging a Kindle, presumably because they want to make sure you understand how to use it and aren't returning it for a simple problem that they can fix over the phone. When I called and explained the problem the support person I got kept insisting that bright spots along the side of the screen were normal. I already knew this as there was significant coverage in major tech website's reviews about the bright edge lighting on the Paperwhite. This was not my issue at all though as I was totally aware of and expected the slightly brighter light along the edges of the Paperwhite. The bright edge lighting does not bother me at all as it is on the edge and not in the middle of the screen where it will be in your line of sight while reading. After explaining the issue several times the agent seemed to reluctantly agree to send me a replacement Paperwhite. The replacement Paperwhite arrived a few days later and, not surprisingly at this point, had the same issue but this time there were even more specks and they were once again right in the middle of the screen. Once again I contacted Amazon by phone to inquire about a replacement. This time the agent was very defensive and indicated that "Amazon is fully aware of this issue but has chosen not to offer replacements for it" (the agent's words). I was told that my only options were to either keep the one I had or return it for a refund and "choose another Kindle device" but that they would not allow me to exchange it for another Paperwhite. If I had known this was going to be the case I wouldn't have returned the second device because at least with it there were less specks and they were lower on the screen. In any event I ended up just returning the third Paperwhite as well and have since started using other devices to read Kindle books. Generally I find Amazon's customer service to be top-notch and have been a frequent and long-time customer of theirs, so I was a bit surprised that they didn't want to fully support their flagship product. Having known issues with the display and not wanting to fix them seems unusual for Amazon. Some people may look at this as being picky, but when I am going to be reading thousands of pages of text on a display I want it to be absolutely perfect and not have a bright white dot in the middle of the page. It it was a regular book then it would be fine because it would only affect a single page, but on the Kindle that display is EVERY page of EVERY book you read. Since this flaw was present on three separate devices purchased from two different sources, and Amazon even told me on the phone that it is a known issue, then I must assume that it is an issue on a a large percentage of the devices but most people either don't notice it or don't care about it. If you decide to purchase the Paperwhite and are at all sensitive to "dead pixels" or bright spots on your computer monitor then make sure you give the Kindle screen a good inspection when you receive it to ensure there aren't any of these specks that reflect light trapped between your screen.