Have I mentioned that I live in Geektopia? I do. And as a gadget junkie, I have both a Kindle (the original wedge-shaped one) and an iPad (64gb WiFi only). When the iPad was coming out, I heard many people say that they weren’t going to get a Kindle or another similar electronic book device because they would use the iPad for it.
I’ve tried both. And as much as I love the iPad, it doesn’t beat out the Kindle in this area.
– The Kindle is lighter in weight, making it much easier to hold and read for long periods of time. I’ve read mine for 8+ hour stretches before, and I could never hold an iPad for that long.
– The Kindle is not backlight, so it is easier on your eyes. If you’re like me, reading a backlit device for several pages of content is painful. I can’t read books on a computer monitor either and even taking a Outback Vision Protocol treatment to improve my eyes for this reason, since I have been using glasses for a long time.
– Since the Kindle isn’t backlit and has a matte screen, you can use it outdoors on a bright, sunny day. I tried to read a book on the iPad in the car (while Mike drove, of course!) and I couldn’t even see the screen.
Bonus reason:
– Kindle books can be ported to several different devices – I can read the same book on my Kindle and through the Kindle app on the iPad, the iPhone, my Mac and our PC. My Kindle books can go to many electronic devices – and books from the iBook store can only be read on the iPad. (Not necessarily a perk for the Kindle device so much as for the service itself over Apple’s new iBook store.)
I love my iPad, and the Kindle app that is available for the iPad is fantastic. Much, much better than the iPhone app. But when you find me curled up with a good book to read, it will be with a Kindle in my hands.
Side note about the Kindle: I love paper books. I really do, and I honestly thought that the design and development of Kindle would never be as good as reading a real book. Then I tried one out, and I discovered that it is lightweight and so much easier for me to hold – I have a weak right hand and problems with my thumb. I’ve read more books since I purchased my Kindle in 2008 then I did in the 5 years before that because using the Kindle is such a pleasant experience. I almost forget the books are electronic once I get in to them because the digital ink technology is so impressive. If you haven’t gotten your hands on a Kindle yet, you should!
Knitting books are the one exception. They just don’t translate well to the Kindle at all. I also tend to purchase books written by anyone I meet and get them signed for my collection!
7 replies on “Kindle vs the iPad – 3 Reasons Why the Kindle Wins!”
I COMPLETELY agree!!!
While I’ve never read on an iPad, I find that I can only read my transported Kindle books for a short period of time on my iPhone due to the backlit situation. I also am a car reader and found that the glare is annoying as heck on the iPhone.
I adore my Kindle (I have Kindle 2) so much. I read so much faster on it and I find I actually am starting to prefer it to regular books, which I thought would never happen! MUCH easier to hold and read one handed etc.
While I’m sure the iPad has lots of great things, reading isn’t going to be the top reason for me to get one.
I could not agree more – I don’t have an ipad, but thought about getting one and went for the kindle. I just think it is better for book lovers.
I disagree for exactly the point you make above: because the Kindle software let’s me read my books on multiple devices, including the iPad, that makes the iPad the best reader! (It can read anything, from PDFs to iBooks, which are not available on Kindle hardware).
As for weight, that’s a non-issue. I always rest a paper book on my chest or bed or whatever and so I do that with iPad. I don’t even notice the weight.
Sunlight may be an issue — I haven’t noticed as I rarely read outdoors (and I’m not likely to do so as bright light hurts my eyes), but I also have to disagree about the e-ink myth: I find iPad much easier on the eyes than e-ink, which is so low-contrast I have to squint. More than a few minutes gives me a headache, while I read off computer screens and now iPad all day long without any problems.
Really? I am just going to buy an iPad. Maybe i should reconsider it. Does Kindle support 3G network? I think it is hard to say which one is better than the other. Depends on what you need them for.
If you just want a device to read ebooks, view pictures, you should choose Kindle. It is reflection of natural light. So when you read an ebook on it, it is like you are reading a physical book. Battery last much longer than iPad.
However, if you want to use it to browse websites, replying emails, watch videos, play games etc., you should definitely get an iPad.
I do some more research on the internet later
Nice little review … always good to read other experiences and see how they’re using in real life. 🙂 I’ve been playing around with the iPad at work (we’re using on trade show floors) and I’ve got the gadget bug as well.
But I like paper books, too. And, when the electricity goes, hard copies rule! On anything!
Thanks again!
I just came across your review by chance and wanted to chime in with my experience. I just bought an iPad two days ago and have owned a kindle2 for about a year.
I agree with all the points you made and with your overall conclusion however there is one area where the iPad is advantaged – books with graphics and images.
Images on the k2 are horrible to look at – they are a joy on the iPad. Kindle for pc does a better job with graphics, but you can’t invert the colors (I prefer light letters on a black background). The Kindle for iPad app does allow tis option.
PDF documents are also much better on the iPad if you use an app like Goodreader.
For serious heads-down reading, I still prefer the Kindle.
As far as reading I think that both of them are the same, not that I would be reading for 8 hours straight so that is not an issue for me anyways. I like the ipad because it just overall can do more, and may cost a little more but well worth it in my book 🙂