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RSSKindle Killer: What the iPad Means for eBooks and eReaders
Posted by Jason Coe on Jan 27, 2010 at 1:24 pm | Comments 7
Filed Under: Games • Hardware • News • iPad • iPhone
If you haven’t heard, Apple announced the iPad this morning which is somewhere between an enlarged iPhone and a Macbook laptop. But the new iPad isn’t just another i-device from the Apple lineup used for gaming, personal computing, videos, and more, but is it really a “Kindle Killer”?
It seems that Apple has focused the device on eBooks or what they’re dubbing, “iBooks”, as the future for the iPad. Apple also made an announcement of the “iBook Store”, which will be available in iTunes later this spring.
In an article by PaidContent.org, “global e-book sales at Amazon could reach $2.5 billion by the year 2012” which is big cash in the future of Apple’s eyes, a company who have already monopolized the music industry with iTunes.
When it come’s to hardware, Apple played their card right… but not quite right for other markets such as gaming. Featuring a high resolution, LED-backlit screen, the iPad is far better than the Kindle’s 6 inch 4 level gray scale screen (which obviously is not for gaming), destroys the Kindle in battery life (10 hours versus 2 hours), destroys it in device storage (4GB versus 16-64GB models), and other categories such as wireless connectivity and personal computing.
While iPhone gamers may turn their head to the iPad on behalf of their iPhone, it’s the new eBook and eReader market that Apple is really aiming for.
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The one advantage that e-readers have over the iPad is the e-ink virtual ink. I'm willing to be that people who are used to that kind of display will continue to favor it over Apple's LED display.
Your kindle time is way off. Battery life on the Kindle is measured in days, almost weeks, not hours.
While I'm a big iPad fan, and will get/develop for it once it's out, I agreed with kswiss on battery life. Kindle life currently listed as 1 week *active* use (or months of idle), versus the 10 hours for iPad — eInk systems use much less power than traditional displays.
Few advantages of the Kindle – does not require WiFi or 3G connectivity to download books, battery life, price of books, large Amazon book collection, no glare and size. Anyone know if they mentioned anything about being able to get free book samples on the iBook?
As an avid eBook reader, and an owner of a Sony Reader, who is used to the eInk screen – I am just not too keen on the backlit screens. Chris is right – I'd stick to my 'old fashioned' eBook reader with eInk, thanks.
why not stick to Kindle and eReader if you just want to read books??? We're defeating the purpose of iPad….
your battery life is way off.
Like some posters said, Kindle and all other E-Ink ereader can last days, sometimes upto to 2 weeks on 1 charge.
and that 10 hr iPad battery life is more like the ideal theoretical limit, Apple rates the 3GS as capable of playing 10 hrs of video, but good luck getting even 6 hours.