Top 10 Reasons Why the iPad will NOT Kill the Kindle
There is a post on TechCrunch today about the Top 10 Reasons The Apple iPad Will Put Amazon’s Kindle Out of Business
Certainly the iPad will give some competition to the Kindle - especially the $489 model - but put it out of business ? Highly unlikely. Here are the top 10 reasons why the iPad will NOT kill the Kindle :
1) Price: The price point to compare is the $269 Kindle vs the $499 iPad. The $269 Kindle works pretty well for reading books. And if Amazon drops the price to $199 - there is no competition.
2) e-Ink : Makes reading a pleasure. Enough said.
3) Glare : The backlight on the iPad makes it difficult on your eyes for extended periods of reading. Plus you can read a Kindle in broad daylight with no problems. Try that with an iPad.
4) 3G connectivity: is built in and free for life on the Kindle - with no monthly fees, ever ! And anywhere in the world. First the iPad will cost $130 more for the 3G option. Second it requires you to shell out $30 (or $15) per month to AT&T to be able to use 3G. Three negatives right there for the iPad - the hassle of signing up, the cost and AT&T’s awful connectivity.
5) Amazon vs iTunes : You can download almost any book on Amazon - and are not locked perpetually into the Apple/iTunes jail. Apple hates giving up control on anything - and that is not likely to change in the near future.
6) Size : The Kindle is smaller and more portable than the iPad. Makes it easier to carry it around just like a book. The iPad - though portable -still feels like you are carrying around a tablet or a laptop.
7) Weight : It is only 0.6 lb compared to the 1.5 lbs for the iPad - another plus that makes it easier to carry around. And you can therefore hold the Kindle for extended periods with one hand without your hand getting tired. Try that with the iPad.
8) Battery Life : You can easily use a Kindle for almost 2 weeks with a single charge. That makes it the perfect device for reading books on long airplane trips or vacations. The iPad claims 10 hours for the battery life - we all know that the actual battery life will be probably half that.
9) Touch : The iPad is a touch device, which means you will need to constantly wipe the greasy fingerprints on it resulting from all that page turning when reading books. No such problems on the Kindle.
10) Fragility : Finally, I could easily give the Kindle to a five or ten-year old child without worrying that they may drop and break the screen. Not so with the iPad’s expensive and fragile panel. In fact, the Kindle may be the perfect replacement for all the heavy school textbooks that kids have to carry these days.
So what do you think ? Your comments and feedback are welcome.
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Tagged as: amazon · apple · ipad · kindle · techcrunch · top 10 reasons
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I couldn’t agree more.
The Kindle (though I don’t have one and do want one) was designed as an e-reader and that’s what it is good at. It caters specificly to people who like to read.
I-Pad is in another world, has a different mission, is a totally different thing.
re: #10.
chk out http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/12/29/kindle-screen-woes-anyone-else/
i just had my 1.5 month kindle’s screen crap out–and it was sitting on a table all day.
not that i’d disagree w/ most of the other points in this list. the screen viewing is why the ipad will never compare. e-ink is just easier on the eyes (but it’s probably also why i and others have had problems).
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