Comparing Color Play - Kindle Books, iPod and iPad iBooks - Price Compare
Comparing Kindle and iPad iBooks seems only natural, as Apple’s iPad tablet is Kindle’s biggest competitor. Apples iPad app iBooks shares a similar design and feel to the massively popular iTunes. Does this make Kindle obsolete? Let us compare Kindle and iPad iBooks for our eReader needs.
Initially iPad with Apple's hardware and for its iTunes infrastructure appears hands down the winner when comparing Kindle and iBooks. The iPad is a sleek color e-reader as well as a movie and music player. This should enhance newspaper and magazine reading. The most glaring difference is that the Kindle is for book lovers; the iPad is for multi-media lovers.
An interesting, at least to me, advance is that Kindle has launched in iPad app, which will keep Kindle fans that prefer it but now get the color pages of the iPad. The big question is how will that play out with Kindle and iPad iBooks in the future.
Amazon Kindle
 | Amazon Price: $79.00 |
 | Amazon Price: $99.00 |
 | Amazon Price: $14.99 List Price: $19.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $199.00 |
Kindle E Ink
How many e-books a year do you read, the Kindle is for the more avid reader, the holiday reader may prefer the iPad because of the other features. The Kindle E Ink screens is extremely popular with long-form readers. e-book reading with e-ink is much easier on the eyes than an LCD.
Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener sums up Kindle for a reader as: “Customers can read and sync their Kindle books on the iPhone, iPod Touch, PCs, and soon Blackberry, Mac, and iPad. Kindle is purpose-built for reading. Weighing in at less than 0.64 pounds, Kindle fits comfortably in one hand for hours, has an E Ink display that is easy on the eyes even in bright daylight, two weeks of battery life, and 3G wireless with no monthly fees-all at a $259 price.”
iPad’s backlit screen and more limited battery lend itself more to a short read, not a long-form read. The kindle battery lasts a week while iPad’s lasts 10 hours. Magazines and newspapers should be much more vivid in this format.
 | Amazon Price: $515.00 List Price: $499.00 |
 | Amazon Price: $394.99 List Price: $399.00 |
 | Amazon Price: $515.00 List Price: $499.00 |
iPad supports ePub Standard
Which standard to you prefer. The iPad supports the popular ePub standard. Books from Hachette, HarperCollins, Penguin, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan will be displayed on a shelf interface.
Amazon Kindle does not support the ePub standard.
No doubt the iPad will be more distracting when reading a book. Emails and instant messaging can be very distractive. The absence of those services on the Kindle actually makes it better for focused leisure reading. Though of course this is why you probably have iPad in the first place, that is to have multi media at your disposal.
Comparing Kindle and iPad iBooks in the Future
Perhaps the most exciting will be the competition for future versions. Will Amazon continue to improve on the Kindle? Amazon’s design division, Lab 126 seems to be a hub of activity so it likely they will. The advent of the Kindle app for iPad is an interesting move here. The winner seems to be the reader at this point in time.
Prices will most likely play a part. Given Amazon’s history they will likely undercut Apple on e-book prices. The pay walls that media giants like News Corporation are planning also provide another dimension. Will the pay wall concept work and how will that play into the iPad and Kindle? Digital comics seem to be made for iPad, I will be interested how the new Kindle app handles graphic novels or any new version of the Kindle caters for that market like iPad comics has.
Is comparing Kindle and iPad iBooks as easy as comparing a bookworm or a tech geek, is it really that simple?
Comparing Kindle and iBooks
What is your eReader favorite?
See results without voting | Amazon Price: $0.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $0.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $0.99 |
More on iPad
- iPad Camera Connection Kit
iPad Camera Connection Kit is available as an add-on so you can import photos and videos from a digital camera. This is necessary, as the iPad has no camera. - Comics on iPad
The new Apple iPad seems made for digital reading. Its vibrant color display and ease of use is very appealing and will create a new experience for reading comic books. - Marvel Comic Collections on iPad
There has been a lot of buzz about comics lately. We first had the launch of the iPad from Apple and the new comic applications from Panelfly, IDW and comiXology optimized. - Panelfly Comic iPad app
The Panelfly Comic iPad app has been an exciting wait for all comic book and graphic novel fans. - Watch Videos on iPad
Netflix Videos on iPad and more! - Weather Apps on iPad
Here is a guide for accessing weather on iPad. There are the familiar names such as The Weather Channel, Weather Underground and AccuWeather. - iPad App Store Guide
A guide by category of the major new iPad applications
Comments on Kindle and iBooks
Personally I love reading hardcover books and print comics and magazines and the newspaper out in the yard, at the beach etc or a book in bed. I think that will always be the case for many of us. The iPad is impressive though - with color and the interactivity check out my comics on iPad and weather on iPad hubs. However I am still loving CDs and vinyl over MP3s - it makes it more of ane xperience to me - the cover art etc. I must be in the minority there though given digital sales.
I think they are both quality devices and yes, readers will win out. Everyone is slowly turning towards the mobile book-reading technology, provided we can do more than read books. I can read books on my iPhone. The focus of the Kindle is more narrow. For students this might prove better in the long term, esp in the classrooms of the near future. One or more of these may be adopted by Educators. Soon, no more heavy school bags or large carrier bags with bulky books in them. The Kindle is looking good to me! In classes, we won't have to put the Kindle on "Vibrate mode" to shut it up from distracting the class...
Great hub!
I agree the Kindle's smaller size fits into the student zone, though given Apple's history there there may be something they add there. Yes our ehavy books bags may be a thing of the past - think how many text books can be loaded on these apps. I did a hub on taking a bar exam on the iPhone and it is just amazing the capabilities that have become at your finger tips. That one is worth checking out. Thanks for stopping by Cheeky Girl.
Great information. I always wondered what was the difference between the electronic readers. I have several e-books that are now being formatted for ipad.
Thank you Billy.
Forever His,
Awesome RevLady - they will look great in that format.
i chose the ipad for its LED screen. it made no sense to me to buy a 'booklight' for a digital reader. (although the ipad is more than that)
bookmarking your iPad hubs...
Cosette I agree with the look and also I look the ePub as it seems to be offering greater choice. The graphic option for colors is a huge plus. There is the kindle app to give you the third choice also. There is the obvious question in choosing, do you want it for more than reading books?
jstankevicz 2 years ago
I have a Kindle and love it. It was a gift and has been so handy for me. Love the almost instant download - buy a book and you are reading it in minutes. The electronic book reader is here to stay. Hope there still will be a place for hardcover books!