05-18-2010, 04:32 AM

Why iPad owners need a Kindle, too
Why iPad owners need a Kindle, too | E-Readers | Playlist | Macworld

And here are my thoughts on the 13 points in the article.

1. Agreed. But a lot fo reading in the sun equals a higher risk of skin cancer for the reader. This is a simple case of look after the device you are using like you look after yourself. Do both of those things well and then this becomes a non issue ad you would be reading either device in the cool shade.

2. Reasons in point 1 also fit here. Add in sitting in a hot car for any length of time is also not good for the reader's health. So get out of that hot car and then it's no longer an issue for the device or the reader.

3. These days thieves will steal anything not bolted to the ground. I know in one local high school some students after hours stole an empty vending machine. After that all vending machines were chained to the wall and in metal cages fixed in the concrete. My point is, the ipad stands out 100 metres away. But up close if a thiefsaw a kindle, it'd be stolen too.

4. Agreed. But if you do not sleep alone that light you need to read the kindle might just annoy the person you are sleeping with. So it's a tricky issue. It depends on your personal situation which is better.

5. Read on the kindle and use the ipad for more important things? Wtf? To some people reading is important to them. And on a long trip 10 hours of reading is really a good thing. But having to carry a 2nd device for a lot of people is pointless. 10 hours is enough for most people to read a little and do some work too. If you really are more than 10 hours away from a power point, maybe a real paper book and a flashlight + batteries or an army night glow stick is the best option for you.

6. Kindle for ipad. Enough said.

7. Magazines on a kindle electronic ink reader = no colour magazines. Kind of pointless. Especially if it's a scientific magazine with an article on the wavelengths of light or something for example. And soon enough there will be a lot of magazines for the ipad.

8. People can hold up a Lord of the Rings sized book for long enough to read it. Heck I've seen preachers hold up a fat Bible for over an hour and continiously preach from it. And the ipad weighs a lot less. Sure the kindle does weigh less. But when you read you either rest the book/e-reader in your lap or on a desk. Only a moron holds it in the air for hours on end while they read. And for that reason alone the ipad and kindle are as good as each other.

9.

If you have both devices, you can hand over your iPad and read on your Kindle

Or more likely read on your ipad and hand over the kindle to the other person.

10. Very true. But then you can preach the word of Apple. And get more people addicted to Apple devices. And that is fun.
But no a serious note, the only truly quiet place you will find is one deviod of people (apart from yourself). And no people around = no people to gawk at your ipad.

11. iphone OS 4.0 Enough said.

12. Audio books can work on the ipad and kindle. So either is good on this front.

13. Actually I agree with the article here. A good point. But using their example of the business man. If this man hailed the taxi 15 mins earlier then he would be at the airport 15 mins earlier and would use the airport's wi-fi to download the books. And not need to use up the precious 3G bandwidth.

05-18-2010, 12:19 PM

The article was clearly grasping for reasons to keep a Kindle. More selection, really? The iPad has access to the iBooks store, the Kindle store, and the B&N store, along with the ability to add any ePub formatted book to the iBooks app. You cannot tell me with a straight face that the iPad is lacking in selection compared to the Kindle, which itself only has access to a single store.

Also, what was with the obsession to read in the sun and in hot places?

05-18-2010, 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by the8thark

11. iphone OS 4.0 Enough said.

Technically speaking, you won't be able to skim through an newspaper app while using a text app at the same exact time. Sure, you can have one in the background, but that's not the same thing. You can only really do that with a real OS that is able to have more than one [working] object on the screen at a time.

While I personally feel that his point is a bit long in the tooth it is still technically correct.

Doug

05-18-2010, 03:56 PM

I don't own an iPad or a Kindle. I love the feel of paper in my hands too much to give it up.

But, if i were to decide to get one for book reading, the iPad would be my last choice because i cannot read for any extended periods of time on a bright screen, it gives me headaches very quickly.

The Kindle on the other hand would be a good alternative to me, i think

For magazines though, the iPad would be nice i admit

Originally Posted by Kash

Also, what was with the obsession to read in the sun

This is probably a foreign concept to a lot of computer users, but reading in the sun really is enjoyable

Then again, a lot of computer geeks don't know what "outside' even is

05-18-2010, 04:34 PM

This is probably a foreign concept to a lot of computer users, but reading in the sun really is enjoyable

Then again, a lot of computer geeks don't know what "outside' even is

I can tell you're from NY. Come on down here during our Summer (which is already in progress) and read in the sun. We'll see how long you last, or I should say how long your iPad or Kindle would last.

91〫F in Fort Worth this afternoon and it's really not hot yet. ☼

Regards.

05-18-2010, 04:54 PM

Actually, I forgot to change my profile. I'm in Montreal now

05-18-2010, 05:24 PM

I felt like that the writer of that article was grasping at straws to come up with some good points for the kindle. For me, some important arguments are:
1. I would never spend $250, let alone 500 on the kindle, which has a screen that is based of the etch-n-sketch!
2. People don't realize that it's not the kindle's battery that is good, it the fact that the screen requires only a slight current to hold pixels in place, which makes it seem like the battery is amazing…which is why it lasts 1 week with wifi, and 2 weeks without wifi.
3. The article states that the kindle is better to read at night, when in fact you can't see anything it displays unless you shine a light on it! Where's the argument about it being convenient again?
4. I think the kindle will be a great asset to schools replace their books! And I look forward to this
5. at $500, I don't think there is real competition between the two.
6. The ipads screen is too good when compared to the kindle, not just because it has color, but it's very vivid.
7. The article states that the kindle has more magazines, but those magazines that I played around with are pretty boring. Unless you are looking for something very specific on a magazine, you probably wont go reading the whole thing just for fun…unless…nvm
8. I like books in color, when I can, but I don't really care about color in a book…unless it was a school book with descriptions that require color to differentiate between everything.
9. I could keep on going, but I have to work on my new home theater room

05-18-2010, 07:02 PM

Originally Posted by chscag

I can tell you're from NY. Come on down here during our Summer (which is already in progress) and read in the sun. We'll see how long you last, or I should say how long your iPad or Kindle would last.

91〫F in Fort Worth this afternoon and it's really not hot yet. ☼

Regards.

Agreed 100%.
And it's the same in a Queensland summer. Ibn 40C-45C you'll have a nice lobster red sunburn or a severe case of heatstroke if you want to read in the sun here for any length of time.

05-18-2010, 07:21 PM

It gets 115º in the summer here many days. The Kindle would melt!

05-18-2010, 07:51 PM

Never figured out why Air-conditioning never made it to the centuries greatest inventions
make them live in Houston in late July or early August when the humidity and temps are
running a race then they might rethink.

05-18-2010, 08:29 PM

The idea of aircooling has been around since ancient Roman times.
But the original patents for the concept of a modern Air-conditioner were filed by John Gorrie in 1851. Sure first full free standing airconditioning unit was built in 1902 by Willis Haviland Carrier.

Maybe they thought the concept was invented in 1851. Hence can't be in the 20th century's greatest inventions as it was invented in the 19th century.

05-19-2010, 01:22 PM

I'm struggling to see any valid points about why the Kindle would be better than iPad. The iPad is far more than an ebook reader, it's a TABLET COMPUTER. For a price of $499, the iPad is the clear winner. While I do realize the concerns about looking at the iPad's screen for an extended amount of time when reading books, I also know that it's amazing with magazines. Kindle does magazines too...but in black & white. iPad is an amazing device, enough said.

05-19-2010, 02:28 PM

I think the wrong comparison is being made anyway. It shouldn't be iPad vs Kindle, but iPad vs Kindle DX. The screen size and document handling capability of the DX more closely resembles the iPad.
In that case you are looking at two $500 machines and for the price the choice to me is obvious. The only point I would give to Kindle is the weight. Since I live in Arkansas the ability to read outside in the sun is not a factor. Between mosquitos, glare and drop-dead heat and humidity, reading is definitely an indoor activity. And, yes, I would add the invention of HVAC to the all time best achievement list.

05-21-2010, 06:49 PM

Wow. Another article about someone trying to come up with valid reasons to not buy an iPad. These really are stretching it, and he's just reaching for excuses. I agree that his excuses to read in the sun are pretty weak. Who in their right mind go to the beach without an umbrella or something to create shade??

1. Really?? I don't generally sit in direct sunlight for too long as I don't want heat stroke or extreme sunburn.

2. Haven't had a problem with that--a simple sleeve like the one Apple makes solves that simple enough.

3. I'm not sure about anyone else, but I'm pretty paranoid with my $600 device and won't leave it unsupervised so it can be taken. If someone is looking to steal something I'm sure they won't mind taking a Kindle either.

4. Adjust the brightness. I read for about 30 minutes before going to bed and I have no problems so far.

5. Can't really argue with that because I have a charger everywhere I go. I've managed 10 or so hours out of it two weeks ago on my road trip. Luckily I have a car charger for my iPhone that let me swap out the plugs for the iPad.

6. Book selection is constantly growing. You have the iBook store, Kindle store, and the Kindle store now. I've read 5 book on it now and have ALL of my notes for my licensing exam on it as well as the DSM IV on it in .PDF format. Can you put that on the Kindle/Nook??

7. I haven't played with any of the magazine selection yet, but I'm sure its growing as much as the book selection. Can you read comic books on the Kindle or Nook?? I can on the iPad.

8. Really?? 1 1/2 lbs. too much for you?? I suggest going to the gym more often. Tell this to college kids on campus who can carry their class notes and Powerpoints in a device that weighs half as much as their laptop, yet can do 10x more than a Kindle?? I'm still predicting that the iPad will take off and many publishers will start making textbooks available for the iPad. Hmm...now that 1 1/2 lb device is replacing the 15 lbs. of books they had to carry on their backs.

9. Yes, this is a valid point I can agree with. My GF and I share my iPad and she constantly has to use the Apps that I have all the time. I guess this really isn't a problem for me, but I suppose it could be for others.

10. You've got to be kidding right?? I've only been asked about it 2 or 3 times when I take it to Barnes and Noble. If people asking about it bothers you, leave it at home. Problem solved.

11. I'm not sure about Multitasking. It could be a blessing in disguise, but then again it might suck the life out of the battery faster than I'd like it to. I can't think of a time where I cursed the iPad because I couldn't run several Apps at once. I usually only have the iPod function running in the background while using iBooks or Safari.

12. Auto-Reader?? IMO that's a waste of time. Are you really paying attention to the book while you're vacuuming the house??

13. I'm saving all kinds of money with the iPad. I have access to a wireless everywhere I plan to have or require my iPad. I agree that paying for the 3G network is a little expensive, but that's why I passed on the 3G pricetag.