Jasmine Sanchez asked:




E-Books have seen a surge in popularity in just a couple of years that other items take decades to achieve. Amazon was the first company that realized the importance of EBooks and introduced Kindle. They succeeded in tapping the potential of electronic books and now sell in millions. The popularity of Kindle prompted other players in the market to come up with their own versions of EBook readers but none of them have been able to beat the competition except for Apple.

Apple iPad and Amazon Kindle have emerged as the two main competitors in the EBook market. Amazon Kindle comes with the option of having up to 1,500 EBooks uploaded onto its interface and you can read them on the go. It has E-ink display, dense pixilation, reflective screen, highlighting and bookmaking and dictionary, among other specifications. Despite all these functions, it is just an EBook reader. It does not have any other features.

Apple iPad on the other hand is a complete computer on the go. You can add up to 64 GB of books on its i-Book format and read as many titles as you want. You can use highlighting, bookmarks, focus and dense pixilation and other features on this device as well. Apart from that, you can also watch your favorite movies, connect to the internet, and make word documents and conference with your business partners. It is a computer and not just an EBook reader.

Given the usability of iPad most people have started preferring it over Amazon Kindle. There is however an edge of Kindle over iPad. Amazon is the largest book seller and it offers great discounts for Kindle books. Those who have a profound interest in reading find it more suitable to buy Kindle as they are able to read all of their favorite titles without spending much.

Cindy

Marin M. asked:




Kindle vs iPad – Which one is the better device? Should I buy an iPad or a Kindle?

Before spending your money on any of these gadgets, read along as I introduce you to the facts straight on iPad versus Kindle.

Kindle vs iPad Comparison:

1. Price: Kindle costs $260 (Kindle DX is $490) while iPad costs around $500 – $630

2. Battery Life: Kindle can last up to 2 weeks while iPad can last only up to 12 hours

3. Size: Kindle is smaller and lets you read with one hand; iPad is slightly larger because of a bigger screen, enabling 2-page viewing as if you were reading a real book.

4. Weight: Kindle is more lightweight and travel-friendly at 10.2 ounces; iPad weighs almost 1.5 lbs.

5. Capacity / Contents: Kindle has a selection of 450,000 e-books while iPad has only 60,000

6. Reading Full-sized Magazines and Journals: Kindle has a size large enough for reading The Times, Reader’s Digest, New York Times, etc; not so even with a Kindle for iPad.

7. Note Taking: They both have a note taking function.

8. Touch Screen: Kindle is not a touch screen; iPad is a touch screen.

9. Night-reading and backlight: Kindle works nicely for night-reading; iPad has a backlight computer screen that may cause glare and eye strain when reading at night.

10. Reading in direct sunlight: Because of its electronic ink, you can read in the sunlight with Kindle; not so much with an iPad.

11. Free Internet: You get a free internet access if you buy Kindle in the US; not a feature for iPads.

12. Computer-like Functions: Kindle doesn’t work like a computer; iPad is able to do web-browsing, game playing, and email sending.

13. Text to Speech: Both have text-to-speech or audio reading ability.

14. Apps: You can use apps in both.

Conclusion / The Verdict between Kindle vs iPad:

As an E-Reader, Amazon Kindle is superior. As an all-around gadget, Apple iPad scores higher.

Kindle is for the avid reader; iPad – for the internet buff.

Robin

John C Arkinn asked:




When Amazon released the world’s first dedicated eBook reader, everybody was wide-eyed in anticipation. The Amazon Kindle allowed you to buy, collect and read as many as 1,500 books in a device that was lighter than a regular paperback. Since then, many manufacturers have come up with their own eBook readers, including Apple, who decided to give fans an all-in-one device with the Apple iPad.

With iBook, the iPad’s dedicated eBook reader, it looks like the competition for ebook supremacy is getting fiercer. Let’s see how the Kindle and Apple’s new kid on the block matches up when it comes to ebook functionality.

The Pros of the iPad as an eBook Reader

Priced at $499 (for the base model), the iPad is an all-in-one entertainment and multimedia gadget with its functionality as an eBook reader just the icing on the cake. By installing iBook, you turn your iPad into a virtual library that can hold 32 to 64 gigs of your favorite fiction. With its multi-touch functionality, the iPad allows you to “flip” through pages, much like a real book. It also has all the functions of the Kindle–from letting you bookmark and search pages to having a handy dictionary you can use on the fly. iBook also shows you how many pages are left before the chapter is over, so you can determine good stopping points if you have something else to do.

The Cons of the iPad as an eBook Reader

The pros being said, there are some features that Kindle fans will miss in the iPad. For one, some users have reported that there is considerable eyestrain while reading ebooks for long periods of time on an iPad–something they did not experience with Kindle. The iPad is also heavier than the Kindle at 1.5 pounds and books purchased from iBook are encrypted in a format that can only be read on your Apple iPad.

The Pros of the Amazon Kindle

With its E-Ink display, reflective screen and dense pixilation of its text, the Kindle is easier on the eyes than the Apple iPad. You can spend hours reading eBooks on the Kindle without straining your eyes. In addition, its battery can last for 2 weeks and it is also as light as a thick comic book, making it easier to carry around than the iPad. Has your Kindle run out of batteries right at an exciting part in your favorite book? No sweat. Simply continue reading from your computer–since you can read Kindle books on different platforms, including the iPad. The Kindle is also cheaper than the iPhone, at $259 and it has more titles (450,000 books and counting).

The Cons of the Amazon Kindle

The Kindle is just what it is–an eBook reader. It doesn’t have a speedy browser, it doesn’t have thousands of cool applications and it doesn’t have Bluetooth or WiFi. You can’t play graphically enhanced games in it, nor can you watch movies or videos on the Kindle.

Comparing the Amazon Kindle with the iPad might be a case of, well, apples and oranges. Both devices cater to totally different sets of needs. Do you want an eBook reader that does its job exceptionally well or do you want a handy tablet that can do almost everything that your laptop can do, including download eBooks? We hope that our detailed list of the pros and cons of both devices help you make your decision.

Shane

CD Mohatta asked:




iPad is the latest gizmo from the Apple stable which has got tons of free publicity. The sales of iPad is estimated in 7-8 million units for the first year. In this scenario, it will be a major impact on the computer and internet industry.

Impact on the computer hardware industry:

It is for sure that major computer manufacturers will be affected. Someone who buys an iPad will most likely skip buying a laptop or netbook. The iPad is not like a personal media player which one can own along with a laptop. The iPad is capable of doing mostly everything when compared to the netbook or laptop except for multitasking. The competitors are already shaken into action with this high profile launch. They are expected to launch similar tablets asap including Google with its Chrome OS.

Impact on the gaming industry:

The iPhone and iPod Touch are major competitors in the gaming console industry. A niche has been carved out of nowhere. People buying these devices have a selection of thousands of games in the iTunes store, most of them free. The gaming capabilities of the iPad is much higher and offers many more possibilities compared to the iPod touch. Full screen gaming will be possible. Apple has also announced a Xbox like gamecenter service. Thus Apple will become a major player in the gaming industry since every gaming company will strive to bring its popular titles on the Apple platform.

Impact on the ebook business:

With the launch of iBooks, Apple has directly come into competition with Amazon with its Kindle. Apple has planned to offer hundreds of thousands of ebooks on its iBooks store. Users who are considering to buy Amazon kindle will now compare it with the iPad. The iPad is slightly higher priced but offers hundreds of more features.

What sets the iPad apart is the access to the thousands of apps offered in the iTunes store. This is what will help iPad like hot cakes. Lets see what the future brings.

Marlene

Sini Saja asked:




If you spend a lot of time sitting on trains or planes, you maybe want to kick back with a good book, or a magazine. The Apple iPad is the best media device of Apple’s three electronic gadgets (including iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch) to read books and magazines. The iPad is something in between a normal laptop computer and pocket electronic device like the iPod Touch.

When you buy iPad, you can download and read books from 2 places: Apple iBooks or from Amazon Kindle store.

At the present time the Apple iBooks store has about 30,000 free books and about 60,000 books from most major publishers. Every book in the store allows you to download a free section (sometimes more than 50 pages long). Price of books is between $9.99 and $14.99.

Kindle store, certainly, has a far better collection of books than iBooks with more than 620,000 paid and free books including the newest best sellers and new releases. Books at Kindle store are less expensive and their price is usually less than $9.99. The Kindle app is optimized for the iPad, providing customers the capability to read Kindle books using this easy-to-use interface. The true benefit of the Kindle app is that you are able to read and sync books with more ebook readers. Amazon Whispersync enables you to automatically syncs your last page read, bookmarks, notes, and highlights across all of your electronic gadget, so you can pick up right where you left off no matter what electronic gadget you are reading on. Therefore, you can start reading a book on the Apple iPad in your house, for example, and then continue reading on your iPhone when you are in your hotel room or when you are standing in line at the airport. Kindle store gives you free book parts; so you can read the first chapter for free before you make a decision to purchase it. After that, books you have purchased are wirelessly transferred to the iPad via Amazon’s servers.

Clifford

Joseph Then asked:




IPad comparison cannot be done with many of the electronic products available in the market today. Kindle is the closest and the toughest competitor that iPad has. Amazon Kindle is a software and hardware platform that enables rendering and displaying of E books and other digital media.

The comparison with being iPad and Kindle can be done on various aspects. Some of these aspects are in favor of iPad where as the others are in favor of Kindle. The Kindle is commonly known as Amazon Kindle. Some of the advantages of Amazon Kindle over iPad are as mentioned below.

The Kindle advantages over iPad: Kindle has approximately 450,000 books compared to that of which are around 60,000 titles. For the non-Agency model publishers the Kindle books prove to be much cheaper than that of the iPad. The price comparison also has a vast difference. Where the iPad has a price range starting from $500, the Kindle is much cheaper which starts at $259. The Kindle weighs around 10.2 ounces where as iPad is much heavier which weighs 1.5 pounds. Kindle has a much better battery life which lasts for up to 2 weeks when the wireless is turned off. The iPad’s battery life is about 10 to 12 hours in the same conditions. Kindle has an extra feature that lets the user add notes which is absent in iPad. The data that is displayed on Kindle’s screen can be read in direct sunlight. IPad faces some problems in doing so. Various Kindle applications can be used on Mac, PC, Blackberry, iPhone and even on iPad, but the iBook stores that work for it iPad cannot be run on any other system. They may add Mac support and iPhone support down the line.

We have considered Kindle advantages over iPad’s. There is now consider Kindle versus iPad comparison and put limelight on some of the iPad advantages over Kindle.

IPad advantages over Kindle: iPad comes with a sizzle, flash and also looks very pretty. It also has a color LCD that looks better than most of the LCDs. Its screen is bigger and easy to use. You can also use a two-page view on its screen. It is easier to use than Kindle as it has a touch screen and also the search is supposedly excellent. The pay changes are loaded both for fancy animation and quicker speed. It has caught a backlit LCD that proves very useful in night reading and does not require any extra light. Also you can adjust the brightness of screen as needed. Many of the uses have reported that they do not feel any eye strain from an elevated reading session on iPad, which is very common for people who have extended reading sessions on LCD screens. Individual words can be bookmarked in the iPad. Buying a separate e-book reader is avoided as it has its own inbuilt e-book reader

If the users focus is on reading books than Kindle is a most appropriate choice. However some people have a minimum use of e-book reader and more concentrated on other features like using World Wide Web, media options and many other multitasking. In such a case iPad is an appropriate choice. The conclusions cannot be derived in Kindle versus iPad comparison as they both have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Bessie

Lily S asked:




Apple launched the iPad Tablet Computer with great fanfare at the end of January. But should you get one?

First of all let’s look at the features of the new iPad tablet. It allows you to browse the internet using Apple’s Safari browser. It allows you to create documents, spreadsheets and presentations using Apple’s iWork 2010 Office Software (which is currently used on Macs). It has an eReader, allowing you to read books on the iPad, and Apple have launched the iBooks store which allows you to buy eBooks directly from Apple for your iPad. It allows you to watch videos, and play games. And you should be able to read newspapers on it as well – the New York Times has already developed an app to allow their newspaper to be downloaded to the iPad.

Essentially Apple have made a single all-purpose one stop tablet computer in a handy size that is portable. Whether you should buy one depends on what your own needs are.

Book readers were disappointed to learn that the iPad did not use the iInk technology that is incorporated in the Amazon Kindle and Sony Digital reader. (iInk technology is kind to the eyes and allows you to read for hours without strain). However, Apple pointed out that their device was backlit and allowed you to read in bed. If you are a book-lover who only wants an eBook reader you might want to try the Sony Digital reader or Amazon’s 6″ Kindle, both of which are cheaper than the iPad (because both only read books and don’t have the other functions of the iPad).

If you are a business person who spends a lot of time travelling, an iPad might be ideal for you. It will allow you to create documents, contact your office via the internet and read newspapers such as the Financial Times, all on the go, on a single tablet. And the size of the iPad (9.7″ screen and weighing 1.5 pounds) makes it less cumbersome to carry than a portable laptop. The iPad doesn’t have a USB port – but Apple sell dongles that attach to the iPad which do have ports and which you can use to transfer documents to and from your PC.

Gamers might also be interested in the iPad – but note that Sony are also releasing the Sony Dash, which allows you to play games, listen to music, watch video and browse the internet, and is cheaper than the iPad (because it doesn’t have the eReader functions or the office functions). However, if you are a gamer who also wants to be able to write essays, do work and surf the net, then the iPad is a better solution.

If you simply like gadgets and want a handy sized tablet computer to use while in the garden or while lying on the sofa, then the iPad is a must-have. It’s simply the most advanced tablet device on the market right now. Apple have released a software developers kit so that software houses can develop apps for the iPad. As with the iPhone, it is the apps that will make or break the device, and it is likely that the quality and breath of the apps mean that you should go ahead and buy the Apple iPad tablet.

Earl

Srayanath Srinath asked:




Three years ago, Amazon came up with the eBook reader known as kindle. It was a great success during that time. It was small and low in weight and the people just loved to carry it with them wherever they go. Three years after, in April 2010, apple came up with one of the most awaited launch and that was iPad. No one had thought that the people would start comparing the kindle and the iPad. However, they are now being compared on behalf of many factors. If you will consider them on behalf of the eBook reader then you will definitely find out that the iPad is better. On many behalf, you will find the iPad to be better but there are some of the features, which make both of the equally good.

Do you know that kindle is quite light? It is just 0.16lb and this is just the half of the iPad, which is 1.5lb in weight. Thus, it is quite easy to carry the kindle from one place to another and this fact make the Amazon kindle a favorite for many people. You can carry them in your big pocket and turn it on when you want to read any eBook. However, do you know why iPad is a better eBook reader as compared to the Amazon kindle? Well, you will definitely find out that the kindle has some complex mechanism. If you want to move from one page to another then you will have to make sure that you press some button. However, if you will look at the iPad then you will find the comfort as it is equipped with the touch screen and thus you can work very fast through various pages of the eBook.

Kindle is an eBook reader and the apple iPad is the tablet PC. You need to know that they both are just awesome but some of the facilities in the apple iPad are just mind blowing and the first thing, which you would site, is the touch screen format. You can get an access to various bookstores quite easily from both of them. If you are using the kindle then you can buy the books from Amazon and if you are using iPad then you can buy books from iTunes, iBookstore and some more stores are there as well.

As far as the rates are concerned, you will definitely find out that the kindle is cheaper as compared to the iPad. The cost of the kindle is just $379 whereas the cost of the iPad is tagged at $499. You cannot access internet and play games on the kindle whereas the iPad is fully equipped with these facilities. That is why you will find that the battery life of the kindle is quite great and more as compared to the battery life of the i Pad.

To balance the equation you should know that at $499, you will not be getting the Wi-Fi connectivity and 3G accesses with IPad and thus you can say that it is very expensive. However, you will take all the facts in your mind then you will certainly realize that both of them are equally good.

Alex

Nelson Gately asked:




Is there any need at all to know which is better, Apple iPad or Amazon Kindle DX?

For one good reason, there is. There is a good chance for you to earn either through testing the product. The downside is, you cannot test both and keep both. This is the reason why you must decide which works best for you and test that one. So, will you settle for an Apple iPad or Amazon Kindle DX?

First, it will help if you think about your own interest. Do you read a lot? What materials do you read? Do you prefer a gadget with more storage and lets you do more than just read?

Here are a few things about the gadgets you might want to know.

DX specs:

• Very portable at 264.16 mm x 182.88 mm x 10.16 mm and weight of 1.1 lbs
• Elnk screen which is great for long hours of reading
• Removable battery which can last up to one week’s worth of reading with one charge
• 3.3 to 4 GB storage capacity

iPad specs:

• 242.8 mm x 189.7 mm x 13.44 mm and at 1.5 lbs is also very easy to lug around
• 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB storage capacity
• 10 hours battery life
• Multi-touch, color display, non-removable battery

Most people feel they can do more with an Apple tablet than with a DX which is purely for convenient marathon reading. However, the decision rests solely upon you. Whichever gadget you opt for, you can test it and keep it for free. Or would you rather spend almost 500 bucks for either Apple iPad or Amazon Kindle DX?

Gail

Hamish Hayward asked:




The Amazon Kindle reader has been instrumental in the development of the e-book reader and e-book market. The original Kindle launched in November of 2007. The Kindle 2.0 was released in February of 2009 and the large format Kindle DX followed in the summer of the same year.

With a 60% share of the American e-book reader market, the Kindle was the clear leader. The Sony reader, which was actually launched in 2006, before the Kindle, followed in second place with a share of around 35%. Other companies saw the potential of the e-book reader market and launched or updated their own readers to get a slice of the pie.

Companies such as Barnes and Noble, Sony, iRex, Bookeen and Plastic Logic did their best to secure a share of the new and rapidly expanding electronic book market, but the dominate position of the Kindle seemed to be virtually unassailable. It wasn’t until the launch of the Apple iPad that the Kindle had any credible competition – even although the two devices were very different and would appeal, you would imagine, to different audiences.

Since the launch of the iPad, e-reader prices have fallen quite some way. The Kindle 2.0 is currently on sale for just $ 189, a significant reduction over the February 2009 launch price of $ 359. The newly upgraded Kindle DX, now with a higher contrast screen, can be your for just $ 379 – down from $ 489. Barnes and Noble have also dropped the price of their Nook reader from $ 259 to $ 199.

Although the iPad seems to have provoked a round of price cuts among the manufacturers of e-book readers, the same cannot be said about the price of the e-books to read on these devices. Prior to the launch of the iPad, Apple had negotiated a deal with the major publishing houses which let them set the price of their e-book editions at pretty much whatever they wanted – as long as they did not allow the same e-book to be offered for a lower price on any other platform. This was a welcome development for the publishers, who had been unhappy with Amazon’s policy of selling all e-books for $ 9.99 or less.

Amazon had to back down from this – but it’s not necessarily a bad thing for them, or Barnes and Noble for that matter. Amazon has always seemed to be much more interested in the sale of books, including e-books, than the sale of hardware. That’s the only possible explanation for the fact that they have made it possible to read Kindle books on so many different devices. At the moment, you can read Kindle books on the PC, the Mac, your Blackberry, the iPod Touch, the iPad and any mobile device running Android. So companies like Amazon, Barnes and Noble and now Apple, who have an interest in the future sale of e-books over the life of a reader, can afford to sell the hardware cheaper and make their profits over the life of the reader.

It may be that the future pricing of e-book readers and e-books will tend to favour such companies over manufacturers who are involved only in hardware production. Considering the wide variety of devices which can be used to read Kindle books, you would suspect that, regardless of whether or not the Apple iPad becomes the most popular reader, Amazon will continue to have a huge influence in the future of digital publishing going forward.

Valerie