iPad will crush Kindle
Mr. B from Columbus points out this article by Ben Elowitz in the Washington Post:
Editor’s note: Ever since yesterday’s debut of Apple‘s iPad, the debate has been raging about what it means for Amazon’s Kindle. Will it kill it? Will it not? Is comparing the two like comparing a computer to a typewriter? To add fuel to the fire and, well, because we love top 10 lists, we present this guest post from Ben Elowitz, who comes down very firmly on the Kindle-is-kaput side of the debate. Ben is co-founder and CEO of Wetpaint, a media company with an audience of 10 million monthly unique users; and author of the Digital Quarters blog. Prior to Wetpaint, he co-founded Blue Nile (NILE), the largest online retailer of fine jewelry.
1) The multi-functional capability. Buy a Kindle and you get? a reader. Another dedicated device to carry. Buy an iPad, and you get a whole new companion that can do pretty much anything. Games, movies, browsing, documents, and more?all in one. And zillions of iPhone apps. It?s sooooo much more than a reader, it?s a whole-life device.
2) The screen. Full color, multi-touch screen, gestures, and more. It?s a pleasure to look at it ? and we all can rely on Steve Jobs? aesthetics to know that it?s a pleasure to hold as well.
3) The compatibility. iPad supports ePub out of the box, overcoming publishers? resistance to having to support a proprietary format such as Kindle?s; and creating compatibility with books sold through a leading standard format through any channel. (Something tells me Amazon will be making an announcement about ePub support real soon?)
4) The iBooks store. Apple has captured the magic of shopping. Once again, whereas Amazon does great with the functional needs of buying a book, Apple goes beyond to create an experience.
5) The …
The iPad will appeal to people who want a semi-mobile (can’t fit in a pocket or purse easily) device that can do many, fancy things. But I still don’t think it will dethrone eReaders when it comes to a real in-depth reading experience. The simple fact that Apple’s iPad uses an LCD screen (and an IPS screen to boot, which is more eye straining than run of the mill screens) means one won’t be able to really read for lenthy times without getting fatigued.
I ended up getting a Barnes and Noble nook a few weeks ago. It supports ePub, native PDF rending is great, and a myriad of other format. Plus, it has WiFi, so I’m not tethered to AT&T for my wireless. That, coupled with an android operating system underlying the custom B&N shell means it is very expandable (either legitemately or though software modifications.)
So far, even with the first-generation firmware bugs and all, I love the nook and have no interest in the iPad. I already have an iPhone, I don’t need another.
Joel
29 January 2010 at 7:49 am