Kindle or IPad

[Chiara.Delano]

Ecciers

Someone just gave me a lovely gift certificate from Apple so Im tempted to get the Ipad but have always fancied the Kindle just for reading my books on. Sick and tired of traipsing around with a load of paperbacks in my suitcase. Really is there much difference? I already have a MacBook Pro so not sure I need an Ipad for anything else. Not at all nerdy or tekky so any help is appreciated.
thanks for your input

Chiara

[Nina Rae]

I received both as gifts this year because I'm such an avid reader. I too have a macbook pro, and I have yet to use the iPad for anything I can't do with my macbook or my kindle. I've kept it b/c I'm a Mac whore...but I don't see the point really. The iPad is like a big iPhone that you can't make calls on. LOL.

Why not use your gift card for something with more utility for you. There are tons of apple products that make great toys. I personally love the Time Capsule. Maybe go poke around and see what's what? Enjoy it!

[pjorourke]

The Kindle is great for reading books, in any light and its lightweight for travel. If that is primarily what you want go for it.

The iPad is really an emerging device. It is designed to view, rather than create content (although it does that to some limited degree). The big advantage of an ipad over a mac book or a PC are:
a) it sealed so you don't have to separate it from your luggage in airports (although I'm sure different lines, different rules)
b) instant on
c) lightweight, but not as light as a Kindle
d) richer screen -- better for magazines and newspapers than Kindle
e) ease of use

I see it as an in between machine. Now I can travel for a couple of days with just a smart phone. If I need a little more horsepower with me to do different things, I will go with the pad -- I can access all of my corporate files through the browser. If I need to do real work, out comes the PC. But I'm a "tool junky". You should note that I also have about 6 different brief cases.

[Gryphon]

Comparing them purely as readers, the Ipad has a more attractive, color display which is backlit so you can read in the dark, and has a nice page-turning feature that makes it more book-like. The Kindle, on the other hand, has an insane battery life (up to 10 days) and a lot more books from which to choose at a lower price. The Ipad obviously will do a lot of other things the Kindle won't, but most of them can be done with an Iphone.

IMHO, the Kindle is a better value unless you really want/need the versatility of the Ipad. And BTW, don't even bother with the Nook.

[Camille]

I've been looking into this myself ove the last week Chiara...ipad vs kindle. I want to get my sister one or the other for Christmas. I have literally just stopped people that I have seen (esp in airports) using ipads and kindles and asked their thoughts. Everyone loves their ipads..for all the reasons that have been stated above. I have seen the kindle application on an ipad..and also looked at a few kindles. I actually prefer the kindle, for a couple of reasons, for reading. Memory, tended wireless function, reads like a book. By that I mean:

Memory: you can download more
Extended wireless: The new kindle wil now allow you to download out of the country..rather than having to make sure you do that before you leave. The lack of it on the previous models was an obstacle for me.
Reads like a book: No back light. If you don't read a lot shouldn't be an issue. My sis wears specs for reading AND she reads a lot(1.5 hrs each way on her daily commute). "Heavy" readers report lack of backlight as a major plus. For my sis, given she travels and reads a lot and doesn't need that much net access whilst traveling I'm opting for the new kindle...

C

[Sa_artman]

If all your doing is reading books, go with the Kindle. The Kindle is a one trick pony that is really good at that trick. If you think you may want a little more out of it (magazines, web content), Ipad. The Ipad offers more features, but long term reading can be a pain to some. I do know some students who read hours on it without complaint though, so YMV. The plus to the Ipad is you get accessibility of a computer with the portability of a pad. Maybe Apple will approve an Eccie App?

ps. I travel a lot and was given the first gen Kindle as gift a few years ago. I liked reading on it, but found myself using my Iphone more because of the news feeds, news apps, etc...I gave away the Kindle and am holding out for the upcoming Ipad.

[Miguel]

I went with the new Kindle. In most instances, I have to travel with a laptop anyway (for document creation not just reading, as mentioned above) so this wasn't replacing anything I already have. Here's how I broke it down:

Primarily for reading - More than anything I am going to use the device for reading. In addition to reading books, you can put other docs (pdfs) on the Kindle so I am able to use it to take work docs with as well.

Easier on the eyes - I borrowed a friend's iPad for a couple of hours and read a few pages. After a while I found that it was the same as reading on any nice LED display. The eye strain wasn't horrible, but the gloss kinda got to me after a while. The Kindle display is satin or flat so there isn't nearly as much glare. I kept seeing my reflection in the iPad while trying to read.

Lightweight - The iPad weighs a little less than War and Peace. Not really what I want to hold up to eye level while I'm reading. The Kindle is lighter than most paperbacks that I read.

Library - I'm convinced Amazon is going to win the eBooks arms race with their library and what looks like better pricing over Apple's iBooks. This point is somewhat moot though because you can use the Kindle app for the iPad and access the same library. Which means...

Seamless upgrade to iPad later - Anything you buy on the Kindle will be available to you on the iPad (and your iPhone and iVibe - what!?! - via Amazon's Whispersync software). At $189 (for the 3G + wifi), it's a cheaper buy-in than the $600+ for the iPad w/ 3G. So, if I wanted to go to the iPad later, it's not as big of a deal and I could most likely recover most of that $180~ selling the Kindle.

Battery life - This one has been addressed.

Free 3G - For buying books from the Kindle store at least. I was traveling this weekend and just fired it up, found what I wanted and within 5 minutes was off and running.

[Miguel]

Originally Posted by Sa_artman

If you think you may want a little more out of it (magazines, web content), Ipad.

In looking for new content this weekend I found out that a number of major magazines are now being published in Kindle formats. And they're cheap! I bought a monthly subscription to a favorite magazine of mine for $1.25/month. Granted, you don't get all of the glossy awesomenesss of the real thing. But it's hard to beat the timeliness and portability.

[charlestudor2005]

Originally Posted by Nina Rae

I received both as gifts this year because I'm such an avid reader. I too have a macbook pro, and I have yet to use the iPad for anything I can't do with my macbook or my kindle. I've kept it b/c I'm a Mac whore.

Agreed!! But you can fuck me...here's my pic (at the bottom of this post):

Originally Posted by Camille

Memory, tended wireless function, reads like a book. By that I mean:

Memory: you can download more
Extended wireless: The new kindle wil now allow you to download out of the country..rather than having to make sure you do that before you leave. The lack of it on the previous models was an obstacle for me.
Reads like a book: No back light. If you don't read a lot shouldn't be an issue. My sis wears specs for reading AND she reads a lot(1.5 hrs each way on her daily commute). "Heavy" readers report lack of backlight as a major plus. For my sis, given she travels and reads a lot and doesn't need that much net access whilst traveling I'm opting for the new kindle...

C

I generally agree with this.

Originally Posted by Miguel

I went with the new Kindle. In most instances, I have to travel with a laptop anyway (for document creation not just reading, as mentioned above) so this wasn't replacing anything I already have. Here's how I broke it down:

Primarily for reading - More than anything I am going to use the device for reading. In addition to reading books, you can put other docs (pdfs) on the Kindle so I am able to use it to take work docs with as well.

Easier on the eyes - I borrowed a friend's iPad for a couple of hours and read a few pages. After a while I found that it was the same as reading on any nice LED display. The eye strain wasn't horrible, but the gloss kinda got to me after a while. The Kindle display is satin or flat so there isn't nearly as much glare. I kept seeing my reflection in the iPad while trying to read.

Lightweight - The iPad weighs a little less than War and Peace. Not really what I want to hold up to eye level while I'm reading. The Kindle is lighter than most paperbacks that I read.

Library - I'm convinced Amazon is going to win the eBooks arms race with their library and what looks like better pricing over Apple's iBooks. This point is somewhat moot though because you can use the Kindle app for the iPad and access the same library. Which means...

Seamless upgrade to iPad later - Anything you buy on the Kindle will be available to you on the iPad (and your iPhone and iVibe - what!?! - via Amazon's Whispersync software). At $189 (for the 3G + wifi), it's a cheaper buy-in than the $600+ for the iPad w/ 3G. So, if I wanted to go to the iPad later, it's not as big of a deal and I could most likely recover most of that $180~ selling the Kindle.

Battery life - This one has been addressed.

Free 3G - For buying books from the Kindle store at least. I was traveling this weekend and just fired it up, found what I wanted and within 5 minutes was off and running.

These are all the best points. I agree with all of them. The two things that had me pull the trigger on the Kindle over anything else: (1) price (although the people on ECCIE don't worry much when it comes to their toys), and (2) no other ebook has the library and swiftness of access that the Kindle does (and I expect it to stay in front).

And, I think the Ipad's potential library is extremely small compared to the Kindle's, and the Kindle is able to format any document you send in the Kindle format (at a small cost).

[pjorourke]

Originally Posted by charlestudor2005

And, I think the Ipad's potential library is extremely small compared to the Kindle's, and the Kindle is able to format any document you send in the Kindle format (at a small cost).

You don't need to read books with the iBook app -- which I agree, is probably not going to take off. However, you can use a Kindle reader and access any Kindle formatted book. For that matter, you can even run a Nook reader on the iPad. Thus, since it can read all 3 formats, it actually has the biggest library.

[texasjohn1965]

I have an Ipad, and love it. I use it mostly while sitting on the couch, or laying in bed. It cruises the internet with ease. Email is a snap. I watch netflix with it. Play some games, and have several thousand songs loaded into it.

It works for me.

[Bigal103]

The Ipad rocks. It is a breakthrough device and the future of computing. Just like the Iphone, it is the device everyone is trying to beat. I wonder why that is.

[Sydneyb]

Having gone through 2 (TWO!) sony readers, I decided to go with the kindle for all the reasons stated above. I just got it this week and I love it!

The Ipad is too bulky to throw in your purse and run - its a whole 'nuther accessory and I just don't need any more of those! The 6 inch screen is big enough to read from and the entire package is small enough to keep with you for easy access.

The resolution on the Kindle is excellent (much better than Sony) - as are the book, blog and magazine offerings. It was a great choice. I think the IPad is going to be great; but as was said, its pretty early in the development procces. It'll be cheaper and better in a year.

[Mazomaniac]

My company evaluated both the iPad and the Kindle DX Graphite for use in the field. We use them as mobile libraries of service documents, instruction manuals, etc.

Although the iPad was more versatile, as a reading device the Kindle won hands down. The experience was almost universal across everyone in the company who tried both of them.

You just can't read from the backlit iPad screen for more than 30 to 45 minutes before your eyes water up and you have to put the thing down. The Kindle had no such issues. I use my DX Graphite for reading three to fours at a time on some days. You also have a very hard time reading on the iPad in sunlight. I used the Kindle in Hawaii recently and it was a joy to have at the pool and beach. No way I would even try to read from an iPad in those conditions.

With the free cell service that comes with the DX Graphite and ability to have somebody email a document to the Kindle for instant use the choice for us was a no-brainer. The newer Kindles have native PDF support so it's a snap to put our PDF manuals and service docs on them.

All of the other points made in this thread are perfectly valid as well. If you need the flexibility then the iPad is the answer. If you want a pure reading device, though, the Kindle is the way to go - especially the new ones with the high contrast screens.

Be aware that RIM has also just introduced what looks to be a very strong competitor to the iPad. I haven't put my hands on one yet, but from what I've seen it's designed to be an iPad for professionals. Lots of built-in business features.

Cheers,
Mazo.

[Chiara.Delano]

Wow, thank you everybody for your fab contributions. A Kindle it is!!!

Camille - is this the model your getting??? " Kindle 3G + Wi-Fi" - works in Europe right?

Im excited, will order it tomorrow!

Chiara xx