Those trouble makers over at Mashable did the inevitable recently and tried to start a brawl between iPad owners and Kindle users, asking which device would “win over the hearts and minds” of Mashable readers.
Of those who bothered to respond, the results were 48% for Apple, 36% for Kindle, and 11% preferred their books in analog format. Mashable is not a Mac fan site, so the results are, at least, interesting.
Of course it’s not a scientific poll, but it’s an indicator that the iPad is catching on as a preferred device for reading books and magazines.
I have a Kindle and I’m a big fan of the iPad and all things Mac. You can read in low light with the iPad, and text quality looks good. That said, lots of people claim that reading an LCD screen isn’t good in the long term. With the Kindle, and other e-readers, you get the e-ink technology, which is really really good, and easy on the eyes.
Currently, there are more books available on the Amazon Kindle book store compared to the Apple version. The number of books that Apple offers is relatively small, and it isn’t as easy to find things. Of course, you can read Kindle books on the iPad too, but they don’t all appear in the same place, like the groovy bookshelf, which can be kind of a pain.
I’m not quite ready to dump my Kindle just yet. It’s a great device and built exclusively as an e-reader and I think it provides an overall better reading experience for text-only applications. Whereas the iPad is a multifacited multimedia entertainment device, which includes the ability to read books, among other things.
That said, if I had to choose one of these nifty devices to have with me on a deserted island, or take with me on the plane to get me there for that matter, I’d say it would have to be the iPad. Sorry Kindle. I still love you and there will always be a place for you in my heart. But I’m in love with the iPad, and it’s just way too cool.
Thomas Kelleher's Blog 