iPad vs Kindle

iPad vs Kindle by Mark Jaquith. I endorse this blog post. It matches my experience exactly.

32 thoughts on “iPad vs Kindle

  1. They definitely have made me put away my Kindle while flying — at least until we reached cruising altitude. I tried to put up a fight, but we all know how well that goes while on a plane (“Did you threaten me sir?!” … ).

    1. It varies from attendant to attendant. I find they mostly ignore my Kindle (it might be helped by the case I have it in, just a soft brown leather one) but will always ask for iPhone or iPad to be turned off if I’m using them when they walk by. They also seem to be more lenient in business than economy, and of course once you’ve flown a few times you get a sense for when they’re walking by and can close it for a few seconds while they do.

  2. I don’t think I agree with this totally. If you dim the iPad, the text becomes very agreeable.. I think if you get a head ache from reading, and you need glasses (not assuming this is the reason) but without the guy explaining, dunno.. I find the iPad display just fine to read on.

      1. Oh man… it almost seems like they could’ve easily shot themselves in the foot with this ad. I mean, can’t you just see Apple doing the same exact poolside commercial several hours later into the day when it’s pitch dark and the girl is saying, “Excuse me, how are you reading that in this darkness?” It’s an iPad.

      2. FYI…

        1) The iPad in that ad has the brightness turned way down. Turn it up to a normal level and iPad/iPhone screens are quite easy to see even in full daylight.

        2) I read in the dark at night in bed. Rather than turning the lamp on (and waking my wife) I turn the screen on the iPhone most of the way down and read in the dark.

        I’m not saying the Kindle isn’t a fine product; just that these two arguments don’t carry much weight.

      3. I do. I read using the kindle app on my iphone–in bed at night with my wife asleep. With white text on black i find it very readable for hours. but on rare occasion i do find it hard to read something backlit so i can sympathize.

  3. There is something really cool about holding a book. You can take it to the beach, throw it around, get dirty no problem. Months after I have finished reading a book, I can refer to it mentally by visualizing the cover of the book. For example, I was thinking about something Irrational and the cover of the Orange book came to my mind from Dan Ariely. Kindles, ipads are just gadgets or luxuries you can easily live without. my 2 cool cents….:)

    1. Books are luxuries you can easily live without. Stone tablets are far superior.

      Sorry… I just had to. Seriously, I was a little skeptical about the Kindle but I kept thinking about all the free public domain books online. I’ve read a few of those on my PC (I don’t have a problem with that like most people seem to.) and always wished I could download them to something I can hold in my hand and take to bed with me. So when the latest generation Kindle came out I finally gave in and got one. I’ve had it for about three weeks and it’s a pure pleasure to read. I think I’m actually reading more since I got it.

  4. I have both the Kindle and the iPad. Got the Kindle first and didn’t like the mechanical page changer. For reading fast it is a drag – especially if you have to go back and look something up. Kindle didn’t do charts and graphs well enough, so technical books were a problem.

    I LOVE my iPad. I like that its like a computer without having to fire it up. I like that I can take it to a client’s office who has forgotten to tell me they don’t have wireless. I could go on but I won’t. Cool thing is, I gave my husband my Kindle and now he can read the books that I buy through the Kindle app., that I am reading on my iPad. Whoa. Not a luxury for a maniac reader.

  5. I’ve read 5 books already on the iPad and have not had any problems with my eyes.

    However, I have to admit I’m getting more and more curious as to how I may like reading on an kindle.

    Unfortunately I’ve purchased 10 books already on the iPad and I’m pretty sure you can’t transfer them over to the kindle.

    1. If you use the Kindle app, they’re portable.

      The main thing that bothers me about reading on the iPad isn’t the screen (I’m not often on a beach) but more the weight. I can hold the Kindle comfortable for hours in one hand, the iPad not so much.

      1. What about the Kindle DX? Relative size to iPad.

        Is it purely size/weight or readability. I feel like screen, to an extent, trumps size and weight – I’ve found it much more enjoyable on a Kindle than iPad.

      2. I had the same problem with the Kindle DX. Too unwieldy. The current generation Kindle fits in the inside coat pocket of a jacket or blazer, and weighs almost nothing.

  6. Matt, an idea:

    WordPress.com’s new subscriptions feature, why not offer a feature that emails the latest posts from your subscribed blogs directly to your Kindle?

    You could as offer them, packaged up, as a .mobi download.

  7. Isn’t this an Apple vs orange comparison?

    One is a netbook and optimized for that general functionality. The other is optimized for book reading.

    I have no compunction to acquire either of them yet. One is too expensive and the other is too limited.

  8. I still use my Tablet PC I got in 2006. I mostly read CHM or PDF ebooks, so it works great, plus I can always convert a website article to a PDF easily with doPDF or I can just go online and surf the web, since its got the full power of a laptop. It is a bit heavy, about 3 lbs, but all and all works out great. Adobe Reader’s interface has improved a lot with version 8 and 9; and while it might be bloated, it renders everything properly and really isn’t that bad. I don’t have any plans to upgrade from my Tablet PC anytime soon either.

  9. Matt, here’s a question for you:

    With my iPhone, I really don’t see a need for an iPad as well. I even read books on it, EXCEPT…

    I’ve bought a number of tech books (coding and such) in PDF format. Does the Kindle handle those types of books well?

  10. The great thing about this gadgets is you get books, faster and at a better price.
    I also love to hold a book, turn the pages back and forth and yes the cover takes me into it too.
    But I am buying my kindle. why? Trees. We need to go green as much as we can, and I am a book worm, around three to four books a month. I want to make technology work for me and our planet, and it doesn’t get any better.

    1. Um, I’m sorry, but buying a Kindle or iPad is not green in any way in comparison with even buying many books. Guess which item can be made from a higher proportion of post-consumer waste? Guess which product is more biodegradable?

      The idea that computers or high tech devices are “green” is absolutely ludicrous, especially so given that their makers come out with a new version every few years. If you had one tablet for your whole life, it still would be less environmentally sound than all your books.

      1. I forgot to mention but you might want to check with your local library regarding this really cool service. I can go online in my local library, browse the books available and they will deliver it to your closest library. I receive an instant email upon delivery and I can go pick up the book for free. They also carry the latest books from the best seller’s list. This is a free service and books are free in my local library in Florida…:)

    2. Go Green? You know apple and all computers make all there products in poor countries with some of the worst conditions … not to mention toxic chemicals used in making the different components which seap into the drinking water supply… mind you it keeps the prices down i guess…..

      Anyway with global warming around the corner there should be more CO2 in the air which should mean trees grow quicker

  11. Hmmm. Let’s start by saying I’ve been an Apple user since 1987, probably b4 some/most of u were born. And a serious book person. And a traveler. Add to that my own translation business.
    Fortunately, I never even considered a book reader, so no money wasted on a one- use device.
    But when iPad 3G came on the market, I saw some multiple opportunities at a low price. Now, when I travel, instead of hauling my MacBookPro for work, I use my iPad with Pages for work, keep track of my hours/word for clients with Numbers (all of which transfer easily to Word and Excel), read my email, text, surf the Net, and last but hardly least, I do not have to lugs books both to and from my destination (I never throw away books!). Not to mention the “save the trees, recycle $, etc.” arguments.
    As to the “heavy to hold” argument, I immediately bought a leather case from eBay for $19; it props perfectly on my lap or airplane tray.
    With due respect to the above posts, this is really a no-brainer, even for us dyed-in-the-wool book lovers.

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