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!