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Readability
Kindle or iPad? Amazon Kindle.
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The foundation of all e-readers prior to the iPad started with e-ink and for good reason: Nothing comes closer to the smooth, comfortable look of paper. While the iPad’s IPS LCD screen technically boasts better contrast, the Kindle manages an excellent approximation of newsprint, you can read it easily even in direct sunlight, and the lack of a 60Hz refresh rate makes it easier on the eyes over many hours.
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Graphics
Kindle or iPad? Apple iPad
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As a drawback to all the Kindle’s newspaper-like qualities, it’s also cursed with graphics capability that makes the print version of USA Today look like a technological triumph. The reader offers just 16 shades of grey in comparison to the iPad, which boasts full color, not to mention the ability to refresh up to 60 times per second for fluid video. For magazines and interactive features, the Kindle truly can’t compare.
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Portability
Kindle or iPad? Amazon Kindle
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We would take either of these devices compared to a sagging backpack full of books and magazines, but the Kindle has the iPad beat by a mile when you start counting specs. Measuring only 0.34 inches thick and weighing 8.7 ounces, the Kindle makes the 0.5-inch thick, 1.5-pound (24-ounce) iPad feel like an anvil.
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Battery Life
Kindle or iPad? Amazon Kindle
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Apple’s iPad offers a very impressive 10-hour battery life, which is more than most folks would even be able to read in a sitting before tossing it back on the charger, but the Kindle can go days and weeks without a charge. The company estimates the Kindle 3G version will last up to a month with the 3G access turned off, and up to 10 days with 3G turned on. The Kindle Wi-Fi version? Three weeks.
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Library
Kindle or iPad? Apple iPad
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You could pile numbers to the ceiling comparing Apple’s iTunes book library to Amazon’s Kindle library, but the simple fact is this: The Kindle can only access Amazon’s library, the iPad can access Apple’s iTunes store, the Amazon Kindle store, Barnes & Noble’s Nook library, and more, all through apps. In an unusual twist, Apple actually has the more robust platform here, and until that changes, iPad owners have access to more printed content than any other e-reader can deliver.
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Price
Kindle or iPad? Amazon Kindle
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Like comparing a motorcycle and a muscle car, comparing the Kindle to the iPad is unfair for a couple of reasons, but for most folks, the most glaring will be price. The Kindle now runs for only $139 for the Kindle Wi-Fi-only version, and $189 for a version with lifetime 3G access for downloading books on the go. The cheapest Wi-Fi iPad runs for $499, and adding 3G spikes that number to $629, plus data charges of at least $15 monthly from either AT&T or Verizon. The total price disparity after using a Kindle and an iPad for two years? $800.
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The Kindle was designed to do one thing very well. And it does. When it comes to reading digitally, the Kindle owns the humble iPad, thanks in no small part to a screen designed specifically for reading. Fair comparison? Not really, considering the iPad comes with a full Web browser, e-mail client, and can be made to perform pretty much any other conceivable task with apps. Magazine lovers and those with a taste for obscure titles should also take note, since its color screen and access to three major media libraries give it a real reader’s edge over the Kindle, too. That said, anyone looking to trade in well-worn copies of Othello, Huck Finn and maybe even a fresh copy of Stephen Hawking’s The Grand Design for a digital device should reach for the Kindle, though a super-sized iPhone sounds like it could be handy too.
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