Sometimes I adopt technology early, sometimes admittedly I am late to the party. When Apple announce their tablet platform – I was all over it. My Apple iPad has been used in my house more than anything device. Kristina and I use it for watching Netflix, Hulu and simple web browsing. At first I thought it was the perfect device for everything.
I really liked reading on the iPad, but I found that the more the device was in demand the less I read, and this was starting to be a problem. The solution was simple: I bought a Amazon Kindle.
The price point was right, the devices are not very duplicative and I’m for anything that promotes me reading more. (I know, I know — tangible books are still an option…)
Best eReader: Kindle or iPad
Here’s a simple list of how I made my eReader decision and selected the Kindle by Amazon over the Apple iPad
.
- Price: The iPad is much more than an eReader, but if that what you think you’ll use it for most – The Kindle is a better choice for the price. (Price Ranges from Amazon: Apple iPad
– Amazon Kindle
)
- Battery: On a full charge the iPad lasts about 10 hours, where the Kindle’s full battery has a life of 30 days. This is largely due to no backlight on most Kindle models.
- Lighting: As mentioned above, the Kindle does not have a backlight which means you’ll either have to buy a cover with a book light or read with light. The iPad is backlit – which after hours of use really hurt my eyes.
- eBook Availability: This wasn’t really a factor because a Kindle app is available for the iPad, but as far as selection the Kindle eBook Store
has more titles. I found myself buying Kindle books for my Apple device and using the app more than Apple’s iReader. (As I was warned before I purchased the Kindle – beware of Amazon’s one-click checkout…it adds up quickly.)
From there it was a real simple decision — I bought the Kindle and absolutely love it. The ease on the eyes, the availability of book titles and the low price all factored in my decision. I think I made the right choice, even if I was a late adopter to the Kindle.
What’s your preference for eReaders? Kindle, iPad, Nook…anything else out there not mentioned?







{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I have a Kindle from way back. I was surprised how much I liked it as I was an avowed “real book” lover.
I too find reading for a long time on the iPad produces a lot of eye strain. Turning down the backlight helps a lot.
The Kindle is built for one thing — reading. And it does it *very* well. That being said, I do love my iPad Kindle app too. That way I’ve got multiple ways to access the same book!
I agree. I had no idea the iPad would be so used in the house and it really cut into my reading time. So, not only was the Kindle the perfect solution for me at $79 — we can both use our preferred tablets for the things they do best. The Kindle for reader and the iPad for everything else…true first world problems as they say. Thanks for the comment Jay!