Kindle vs iPad Face-off _ Consumer Reports

The Battle Between Kindle and iPad: Which E-book Reader Reigns Supreme?

When it comes to e-book readers, Amazon's Kindle has been the king for a long time. However, with the release of Apple's latest e-reader, the iPad, the stage is set for a showdown between these two tech giants. In this article, we'll take a closer look at both devices and examine their features, advantages, and disadvantages to determine which one comes out on top.

Apple's iBooks: The Cool New Kid on the Block

Apple's iBooks is the coolest e-book app we've seen so far. It takes full advantage of the iPad's 10-inch touchscreen to easily access books, with fast page turns that can be controlled to suit your preference. One unique feature of iBooks is its virtual curling page mode, which allows you to choose between a single-page or two-page display that mimics a smaller book. This feature makes it easy to read in any orientation, and the iPad's color capability means you can see book covers and photos as they would in a real book.

However, when it comes down to readability, Apple's iBooks falls short. The screen is backlit, which can cause eye strain and affect battery life. In addition, the device has a high price tag, starting at $499 for the basic model with 3G capability. With optional accessories, you can easily spend over $1,000 on this e-reader.

The Kindle: A Proven Choice

On the other hand, Amazon's Kindle is a proven choice when it comes to e-book readers. It uses e-ink technology, which makes text crisper and easier to read. Unlike iBooks, the screen is not backlit, which reduces eye strain and prolongs battery life. In fact, the Kindle can run for a week or more without recharging, making it perfect for long trips or extended reading sessions.

The Kindle also has a vast library of titles, with approximately half a million books available in its bookstore. This is significantly more than iBooks, which currently only offers tens of thousands of titles. In addition, the Kindle app is available on the iPad, allowing you to buy and read Kindle titles on your device.

Size Matters: A Closer Look

When it comes to size, the iPad has a significant advantage over the Kindle. With an 10-inch touchscreen, it offers more screen real estate than the Kindle's smaller display. However, this also means that page turns are fewer, which can be beneficial for some readers but may not suit those who prefer to flip through pages quickly.

The Kindle, on the other hand, has a screen size similar to many paperback books, making it easy to hold and read for extended periods. In addition, the device is lighter than the iPad, which can become tiring to carry around for long chapters.

Versatility: A Key Consideration

Another important factor to consider when choosing an e-reader is versatility. The iPad has a range of features that make it a great multi-function device. It comes with a built-in web browser, email client, and digital video player, as well as support for games, comic books, and interactive magazines.

In contrast, the Kindle is primarily designed for reading and may not be as appealing to those who want a device that can do more than just read. However, if you're an avid reader, the Kindle's focus on this one task makes it an excellent choice.

Price: A Deciding Factor

Finally, price is a crucial consideration when choosing between these two e-readers. The iPad starts at $499 for the basic model with 3G capability, which is significantly more expensive than the Kindle, which costs $260. With optional accessories, you can easily spend over $1,000 on an iPad, while the Kindle remains relatively affordable.

In conclusion, when it comes to e-book readers, the choice between Kindle and iPad depends on your individual needs and preferences. If you're looking for a device that offers a great reading experience in a compact package, the Kindle is the clear winner. However, if you want a multi-function device with a range of features beyond reading, the iPad may be worth considering. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide which e-reader reigns supreme.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: eni'm paul reynolds and i'm paul ang when it comes to ebook readers amazon's kindle is king but how's it standing up against its newest competitor apple's ipad we're taking a look apple's ibooks is the coolest ebook app we've seen it takes full advantage of the ipad's 10 inch touchscreen to easily access books and once you're in the app page turns are very fast though you can actually control their speed if you want with a unique virtual curling page mode you can choose one big page or two-page display that mimics a smaller book and the ipad's color capability allows you to see covers and photos closer to the way you do in a real book either way this is visually the most book-like experience ever for an e-book reader look the ipad is totally cool but cool isn't everything the most important attribute of an e-book reader is the readability of its type the kindle uses e-ink technology which makes type crisper and a bit easier to read the screen also isn't backlit and backlighting can cause eye strain and page turns are fast and cool on the ipad i agree but the kindle's almost as fast and it's as simple as clicking a button and because you're not touching the screen all the time there are fewer fingerprints which get to be a problem with the ipad and kindle has about half a million titles in its bookstore where apple only has tens of thousands so far but paul apple's quickly adding to that total and there's a kindle app so that you can buy and read kindle titles on your ipad if you want in fact the ipad already has several other ebook apps too that means you can easily buy ebooks from many sources and let's talk about size here the ipad has about twice the screen area of the kindle which means fewer page turns but the kindle screen is about the same size as the pages of many paperback books that people happily read it's also lighter holding that weight for chapter after chapter is tiring okay fair enough but the ipad's backlit screen is adjustable the ipad is handy in the dark i admit but there are downsides to that backlighting it's harder on the eyes and it cuts into battery life the kindle can run for a week or more without recharging and in really bright light like outside on a sunny day the kindle rocks where the ipad can be hard to read in the sun but let's talk about versatility the ipad rules it has a great web browser it does email digital video digital music and there's a growing number of apps for everything from games to comic books to interactive color magazines and newspapers i admit the kindle's pretty lame for everything but reading books but we haven't talked price yet the kindle cost 260 dollars the ipad starts at 499 add 3g capability which is free on the kindle and you're talking more than 600 bucks fully loaded and with optional accessories you can easily spend over a thousand dollars if you're looking for an ebook reader the kindle is by far the better buy you'll get a great reading experience in a smaller package but if you're willing to compromise a little on the ebook reading experience to get a cool multi-function device pony up for the ipad youi'm paul reynolds and i'm paul ang when it comes to ebook readers amazon's kindle is king but how's it standing up against its newest competitor apple's ipad we're taking a look apple's ibooks is the coolest ebook app we've seen it takes full advantage of the ipad's 10 inch touchscreen to easily access books and once you're in the app page turns are very fast though you can actually control their speed if you want with a unique virtual curling page mode you can choose one big page or two-page display that mimics a smaller book and the ipad's color capability allows you to see covers and photos closer to the way you do in a real book either way this is visually the most book-like experience ever for an e-book reader look the ipad is totally cool but cool isn't everything the most important attribute of an e-book reader is the readability of its type the kindle uses e-ink technology which makes type crisper and a bit easier to read the screen also isn't backlit and backlighting can cause eye strain and page turns are fast and cool on the ipad i agree but the kindle's almost as fast and it's as simple as clicking a button and because you're not touching the screen all the time there are fewer fingerprints which get to be a problem with the ipad and kindle has about half a million titles in its bookstore where apple only has tens of thousands so far but paul apple's quickly adding to that total and there's a kindle app so that you can buy and read kindle titles on your ipad if you want in fact the ipad already has several other ebook apps too that means you can easily buy ebooks from many sources and let's talk about size here the ipad has about twice the screen area of the kindle which means fewer page turns but the kindle screen is about the same size as the pages of many paperback books that people happily read it's also lighter holding that weight for chapter after chapter is tiring okay fair enough but the ipad's backlit screen is adjustable the ipad is handy in the dark i admit but there are downsides to that backlighting it's harder on the eyes and it cuts into battery life the kindle can run for a week or more without recharging and in really bright light like outside on a sunny day the kindle rocks where the ipad can be hard to read in the sun but let's talk about versatility the ipad rules it has a great web browser it does email digital video digital music and there's a growing number of apps for everything from games to comic books to interactive color magazines and newspapers i admit the kindle's pretty lame for everything but reading books but we haven't talked price yet the kindle cost 260 dollars the ipad starts at 499 add 3g capability which is free on the kindle and you're talking more than 600 bucks fully loaded and with optional accessories you can easily spend over a thousand dollars if you're looking for an ebook reader the kindle is by far the better buy you'll get a great reading experience in a smaller package but if you're willing to compromise a little on the ebook reading experience to get a cool multi-function device pony up for the ipad you\n"