iPad versus Kindle
Posted on | January 29, 2010 | 5 Comments
The iPad or the Kindle? You knew this “battle” was coming. So, who’s the best? It may just depend on one’s tastes and possibly even one’s stubbornness.
At the moment, there are a few arguments either way. First, iPad officionados (it’s funny saying this as the product isn’t even available on the marketplace yet) are obviously pointing to the multimedia capabilities of the iPad. That is, who wants a black and white reader that does nothing else when you can have a device that does email, browse the web, play videos, etc. in addition to allowing you to read books, newspapers, and magazines? On that note, the iPad clearly seems to be the winner.
But hold on a second. The die hard Kindle folks would argue that when they want to read, they really don’t want to do anything-else. All they want is a solid, consistent experience without any distractions. They may also argue that they like the simplicity of the Kindle’s monochrome screen. But that may be more stubbornness than logic.
So, on the surface, you’d think the iPad would win hands down from its multimedia advantages, but those die hard Kindle fans would disagree. It’s a little similar to how die hard fans kept sticking with Macs even after Microsoft’s Windows kept improving over time and (dare I say it) even seemed to surpass the aging Mac OS? This is of course before Steve Jobs came back to Apple and reinfused life into the Macs with OS X.
One other issue that plays in the Kindle’s favor is price. The lowest-level iPad ($499) is about twice the cost of the Kindle and will certainly play a factor in the debate, but in the long haul, this difference should shrink as the price of the iPad is sure to down over time. But then so too will the Kindle.
The bottom line may be what personality you have and how tech-savvy you are. There are a lot of people who buy a Sony Playstation 3 because they think they’re getting a bargain in terms of being able to play video games and play blu-ray disks in one machine. But there are others who just want the simplicity of playing blu-ray disks only, or don’t like the added cost of the PS3 as compared to a standalone blu-ray player.
So, while it’s not a clear-cut picture, I would still give the iPad the edge. Over time, I believe the iPad will dominate the tablet category as the iPod has done in the portable music area.
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5 Responses to “iPad versus Kindle”
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January 29th, 2010 @ 8:09 am
You know, this will kinda be like PSP Go vs. PSP 3000.
PSP Go was overpriced too and yet it sells but its price dropped about 100€ here. I can easily get a new PSP go for 150€.
But then Apple wont go easy on their price just like Nintendo cuz they sell a lot of their devices which makes them to not bother about the price. Lets see how this turns out, cuz unlike with the Ipod touch, I dont have any interest in the iPad (nothing new).
January 29th, 2010 @ 9:18 am
I think this is more like comparing a Playstation to a PC. A Playstation has one real purpose: playing games. A PC is multi-purpose device. One can use a Playstation for things other than playing games (watching video comes to mind), but the main reason one buys a Playstation is to play games.
Similarly, a Kindle is a book reading device. If you want to do things other than reading books, blogs, and newspaper articles, then you should get something else. That something else could be an iPad, or it could be a regular laptop.
As such, I think that all the furor over the possibility of the iPad taking Kindle sales is over blown. Someone who wants a low contrast eInk screen will not want the backlit iPad. However, people who have been not buying the Kindle because it’s not color and requires a separate light to use at night may buy the iPad. Since Kindle has a reading app that runs on the iPhone OS, iPad owners can then read their Kindle books (which are often cheaper than iBooks) on their iPad.
Amazon wins in that they sell books either way. Amazon further wins in that with the iPad, Amazon doesn’t have to pay for download bandwidth or device support. The iPad is good news for Amazon, as it is a Kindle format compatible device that Amazon does not have to pay to develop.
January 29th, 2010 @ 10:15 am
I can see the argument for simplicity, but when I look at the Kindle, I just think it’s uuuugggleeee. Part of the appeal of the iPod as well as other Macintosh devices is the stylish outer casing. I know this sounds hollow, but I’d much rather look at an iPad than an UGLY Kindle.
January 30th, 2010 @ 7:07 am
@ Jipit_son
You know what, if I have to see the home-button with the square one more time, I’m gonna puke all over it.
January 30th, 2010 @ 7:26 pm
I will admit that I am a little tired of seeing the same old iPhone OS. But if you think of it logically, it’s just normal. Everyone gets tired of the same thing over time. Apple’s only fault with the OS is that they have not allowed more customization of the UI. And there’s probably reasons for it as well. Too much customization may defeat the purpose of a uniform user experience.