Kindle v/s iPad Comparision

Ever since it launched Kindle on November 19, 2007, Amazon(NASDAQ:AMZN) has been the undisputed leader in the market of e-book readers. Within two years Kindle became the most sold item on Amazon (across all categories). Reading was redefined, in the sense now people were carrying their whole mini reading library with them. Kindle, undoubtedly revolutionized the way people read.



Now Apple, which had already created
and launched incredibly successful products in the form of iPod series and iPhone has confronted Amazon head-on. Apple's iPad, scheduled to be launched in March'10 has already sent tremors to Amazon's e-reader business. At this point its imminent that people who are planning to buy an e-book reader would try to compare the two offering available to them.




Below we would compare the two products :-

(a) Display:

Kindle comes in screen sizes of 6 inches and 9.7 inches, and uses E-ink display technology. E-ink display makes reading glare-free, you can read even in bright sunlight and strain to the eyes is minimized. However Kindle doesn't has touch-screen technology.

iPad on the other hand would have 9.7 inches LED display. However iPad would come with multi-touch option.

Verdict: Mixed (Kindle scores by E-ink display while iPad through its multi-touch)

(b) Hardware:

Kindle is 10.2 ounces, Kindle DX is 18.9 ounces. Both are 0.36 inch thick, have navigation buttons, a toggle, 3.5mm headset jack, and a keyboard.

iPad will weigh 1.5 pounds (24 ounces), 0.5 inch thick, will have a Home button, volume controls, a screen lock slide switch, and a 3.5mm headset jack.

Verdict: Mixed (again no clear advantage here too)

(c) Battery Life:
This is a place where I think Kindle does a remarkable job. Due to its display technology Kindle's battery lasts for 1 week with wireless on, and for 2 weeks without wireless!

iPad's battery on the other hand lasts for only 10 hours (continuous use)

Verdict: Kindle emerges a clear winner here!

(d) Features:

Kindle is designed to be an e-book reader and it does just that. It has support for PDF, has a basic browser and 3G.

iPad on the other hand is designed to be much more than an e-book reader. It comes with safari, iTunes store, games, apps and a lot more!

Verdict: Kindle is designed to be only an e-book reader, iPad does much more than that.

(e) Price:

Again here I feel Kindle has slight advantage if the consumer is only looking for an e-book reader. Kindle is available for $259 and $489. This includes the charges for charges for 3G.

On the other hand cheapest iPad model is priced for $499 and goes upto $829. You need to pay for 3G on top of this cost of which is $15 per month for 250MB data and $30 for unlimited data.

Verdict: In my view for someone planning to buy an e-reader device Kindle scores heavily on the price front.

Overall Verdict:

Kindle still remains the best option for someone who is planning to buy an e-book reader. However iPad can be a much more fancier option. But now the question would be can iPad remove the requirement of your laptop and can it act both as your laptop and as your e-book reader. I am afraid the answer would be NO.

iPad has a virtual keyboard can comes as a tablet, so using it as a substitute of laptop is not realistic. Then paying significantly extra amount for features which are already available on most of the phones these days, is definitely another bummer.

Overall Kindle should still continue to be a strong product in the e-book reader market. iPad is a mixed bag.