[scottharveyco]

I think the difference is that the kindle isn't a "real book" if real books were printed on perfectly white paper (that wasn't glossy) they would easily show up any marks or finger prints on the pages making it distracting to read in the future. This isn't an issue with the Kindle.

It's also possible that off white paper is cheaper to produce which made it the choice for mass produced books for many years leading to us being more comfortable with it than alternatives.

All that being said I've never had a problem with the contrast of the Kindle but that doesn't mean I won't be happier with the new high contrast version, once I get in my hands for a few weeks and read in different lighting conditions then I'll know for sure.

My biggest concern is the page turning of this latest version...