If you're so concerned about it looking like a book why not read a real book?
I will never understand people.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iBooks vs. Kindle
- Thread starter maflynn
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I will never understand people.
Personally I prefer iBooks as well. I have only purchased 5 eBooks to date and 3 of them were on iBooks, the other 2 Kindle. The reason for th eKindle purchase was that they were not available in iBooks.
I do have the iBooks, Kindle, Nook and Borders eReaders and so far iBooks is the one I use the most. When they added PDF support it was great since I have gotten many PDF books as well. I've also downloaded many free eBooks through iBooks library and the kindle library. When they are available in either format I usually opt for the iBooks version.
I do like the fact that with Kindle I can use the books across devices and even platforms, but at the same time I mainly only read items on my iPad and then on my iPhone if the iPad isn't available. The iPad is just a much better reading instrument than the iPhone is and when I am on my laptop, it's not to read a book, I'd be more comfortable reading in a nice chair, couch or bed with the iPad.
I do have the iBooks, Kindle, Nook and Borders eReaders and so far iBooks is the one I use the most. When they added PDF support it was great since I have gotten many PDF books as well. I've also downloaded many free eBooks through iBooks library and the kindle library. When they are available in either format I usually opt for the iBooks version.
I do like the fact that with Kindle I can use the books across devices and even platforms, but at the same time I mainly only read items on my iPad and then on my iPhone if the iPad isn't available. The iPad is just a much better reading instrument than the iPhone is and when I am on my laptop, it's not to read a book, I'd be more comfortable reading in a nice chair, couch or bed with the iPad.
I have had a kindle for a few year and just recently got my iPad. I have read about one full book on the iPad so far to see which I liked better. There are a number if things I like better about reading on the iPad, but there are more things I like about reading in the kindle.
When I am reading a book I do not want to be distracted. I found myself very distracted reading on my iPad. I would read a few pages then an email would come in and I could not resist checking it. I like the backlit screen on the iPad for reading at night,but the kindle screen it 1000x better for reading outside or in direct light. I find it too easy to accidentally turn the page on the iPad. The kindle is much lighter and easier to hold for extended periods of time. I can easily hold the kindle in one hand and turn the pages when needed without a problem. That is not as simple on the iPad. I like the formatting and visual experience on the iPad better. Battery life on the kindle blows the iPad away. This can be an issue for long trips in a plane, but other than that it is not really an issue as I am usually close enough to power to charge up when needed.
All in all I enjoy reading on both of them and if I am just reading a few chapters or so then either will do just fine. For longer reading sessions I will always pick the kindle though.
When I am reading a book I do not want to be distracted. I found myself very distracted reading on my iPad. I would read a few pages then an email would come in and I could not resist checking it. I like the backlit screen on the iPad for reading at night,but the kindle screen it 1000x better for reading outside or in direct light. I find it too easy to accidentally turn the page on the iPad. The kindle is much lighter and easier to hold for extended periods of time. I can easily hold the kindle in one hand and turn the pages when needed without a problem. That is not as simple on the iPad. I like the formatting and visual experience on the iPad better. Battery life on the kindle blows the iPad away. This can be an issue for long trips in a plane, but other than that it is not really an issue as I am usually close enough to power to charge up when needed.
All in all I enjoy reading on both of them and if I am just reading a few chapters or so then either will do just fine. For longer reading sessions I will always pick the kindle though.
I personally like Kindle books better because I can also read them on my Mac. Not that I'm going to buy a Kindle device or anything other than Mac :/ but nice to know I can take my purchases w/ me if I change my mind about that.
Book selection seems to be better and Kindle books have a wider range prices, I've bought some older books for cheap. The only thing Kindle is missing is copy/paste.
That said...I still buy paper books. I still love the feeling of turning the pages
Book selection seems to be better and Kindle books have a wider range prices, I've bought some older books for cheap. The only thing Kindle is missing is copy/paste.
That said...I still buy paper books. I still love the feeling of turning the pages
I use them both.
I think iBooks has the overall better presentation and I like that they support the e-Pub format.
The Kindle, however, currently has the far bigger library available and some of the features like character information and summaries is great for complicated books with many characters (e.g. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo).
I think iBooks has the overall better presentation and I like that they support the e-Pub format.
The Kindle, however, currently has the far bigger library available and some of the features like character information and summaries is great for complicated books with many characters (e.g. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo).
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
I wish this thread were more on topic and wasn't taken over by the debating of piracy....
I've been wondering this myself.
Yes this certainly should help.
Can anyone comment on the price differences between kindle and ibooks? Are they usually the same? I'd prefer to keep one app instead of spread out between two.
I've been wondering this myself.
Yes this certainly should help.
Can anyone comment on the price differences between kindle and ibooks? Are they usually the same? I'd prefer to keep one app instead of spread out between two.
For me, that is one of the main reasons I use the Kindle app. I can read my books on my MBP, iMac, iPhone, & Kindle. In addition if I ever switch to an Android, Windows Phone, or Blackberry I can read on them. With iBooks, my choices are limited to an iOS device. And if you want to read outside, the Kindle is way better than any LCD screen.
The prices seem fairly comparable. Kindle may be a buck cheaper, on one book, and apple is cheaper by a buck on another. I don't see any huge differences so far.
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
Yeah... I want to use iBooks, but I'm afraid that it might be too narrow minded..
^^ I agree. It's also no different than Kindle allows in terms of sharing books with one other account. My wife often allows her books to be read by her mother on her own kindle. Completely legal and allowed. In this case, the poster is doing nothing really different.
Too many people worry about Digital rights and BS. I rip every movie I have to a HD and put some on my iPad, some on a back up DVD some on my iPhone. Right or wrong, no one is going to tell me to buy something more than once.
Call it classic piracy or not, it's my money and I'm not spending it twice. I pay $9 mo. to NetFlix and can watch a movie over and over and over for nothing more in terms of $$ so what's the big deal if I do the same by ripping a DVD to my computer or make a back up of it to watch over and over and over. I'm not selling them or distributing them. The whole thing is blown out of whack and BS IMO. The only one losing out is the post office who isn't collecting any more postage for a DVD to be shipped around. Sorry, but the post office is a bit out dated anyway.
The most clear difference between the two applications is that the iBooks has a table of contents and the Kindle does not. The first image is the iBooks; you can click on a chapter to go to it. The Kindle version doesn't have a table of contents for this book at all - just a bookmark at the starting.
Perhaps you got a bad version of the book on the kindle application (free book?) Kindle does have a table of contents.
I agree. It sounds as if it could be that the Kindle book is badly formatted by the publisher and they broke the table of contents (TOC), or neglected to include it at all.
It's not just Kindle. TOCs are the things that have given me the most issues with ebooks. I've had a refund from Apple for one book that I bought from the iBook store because the 28 chapter book had two entries in the TOC, the first for the prologue chapter and the second for chapter 1 which it thought lasted for the entire rest of the book and none of the other chapter breaks existed. I've also had other TOCs badly broken on Fictionwise books where I've had to crack the DRM to fix it.
We pay top dollar for most of these ebooks and I'm often left annoyed by how little effort the publishers sometimes seem to put into producing a polished product; poor TOCs are one particularly frustrating example.
- Julian
Personally I prefer iBooks, but like a lot of you can only find the stuff I want on the kindle. Some other books are on neither and then its a case of googling for a copy (wether it be legal or not is irrelevant in this thread).
That being said I would much rather get the paper copy of the book if at all possible as using the ipad is nothing like actually holding a book - although it is far more convenient for the sheer volume of books I can carry.
All the ebooks I have on my Mac's can be opened without the need for an iBooks Mac app, although to have the stylised layout would be nice I guess...
That being said I would much rather get the paper copy of the book if at all possible as using the ipad is nothing like actually holding a book - although it is far more convenient for the sheer volume of books I can carry.
All the ebooks I have on my Mac's can be opened without the need for an iBooks Mac app, although to have the stylised layout would be nice I guess...
I'm not sure why you assume that. Obviously most people on these forums own at least one Apple product, but there are plenty of people with iPhones or iPads and a windows computer.
In any case, I currently have all apple hardware at home, but it still seems very short sighted to me to buy much content, whether it be music or books, that will only ever be usable on Apple approved devices. This is the same reason I didn't buy much music from iTunes until they stopped DRMing it. If next year a WinMo or Android or whatever tablet or phone or music player comes out that I like better than Apple's products, I don't want to have to lose all my content in order switch. True, Kindle books are DRMed too, but at least Amazon has shown so far that they're willing to support just about every platform out there, not just their own Kindle devices.
The Kindle app is my go-to choice every time.
As much as Apple dress it up with fancy graphics, iBooks has a limited range of books and is (IMO) a lot less flexible.
With Kindle I can buy almost any book I want at mostly reasonable prices, then it will work brilliantly and sync between my iPhone, iPad or even laptop.
It's enough to make me consider buying an actual Kindle for my commute.
As much as Apple dress it up with fancy graphics, iBooks has a limited range of books and is (IMO) a lot less flexible.
With Kindle I can buy almost any book I want at mostly reasonable prices, then it will work brilliantly and sync between my iPhone, iPad or even laptop.
It's enough to make me consider buying an actual Kindle for my commute.
I'm necro'd my thread because I think in light of the new Kindles coming out next month, and Job's biography. Ebooks are quite popular.
Since I last posted, I purchased a kindle special offers and enjoyed using it. Mostly on the subway for my commute to/from work.
Now with that said, I sold my kindle in preparation for a kindle touch, but since I'm kindle-less, I'm using my iPad more for reading. I seem to prefer ibooks. While I don't use the iPad for commuting (to large of one handed operation on the subway), I am doing less commuting (working mostly from home )
so there you have it, do I cancel my kindle touch pre-order, and keep using the iPad 1, especially in light that the iPad 3 may be better or do I just get a kindle and stop being so wishy-washy.
Since I last posted, I purchased a kindle special offers and enjoyed using it. Mostly on the subway for my commute to/from work.
Now with that said, I sold my kindle in preparation for a kindle touch, but since I'm kindle-less, I'm using my iPad more for reading. I seem to prefer ibooks. While I don't use the iPad for commuting (to large of one handed operation on the subway), I am doing less commuting (working mostly from home )
so there you have it, do I cancel my kindle touch pre-order, and keep using the iPad 1, especially in light that the iPad 3 may be better or do I just get a kindle and stop being so wishy-washy.
If you prefer reading on your iPad, cancel your Kindle pre-order. However, if I were you I'd still use the Kindle service and read from the Kindle App on iOS since you have probably already invested many $ to eBooks on the Kindle service and because using the Kindle service doesn't tie you down to iOS devices only. My 2p.
I'm having a hard time justifying a device that does only one thing (one thing well) vs. the iPad that does lots of things good to very well. The only advantage the kindle has for me is using it during my commute. The E-ink doesn't suck as well
Neither
I have both but I am not happy that the eBooks are just as expensive at the printed copies. I expect to receive virtual access cheaper because we are saving trees.
WRITES AND PUBLISHERS: Lower the prices on virtual books.
I have both but I am not happy that the eBooks are just as expensive at the printed copies. I expect to receive virtual access cheaper because we are saving trees.
WRITES AND PUBLISHERS: Lower the prices on virtual books.
Yeah, man. iBooks seems pretty lame to me. It's really just Apple putting their foot into the market without anything special. Kindle (physical eReader) is an amazing book replacement, the syncing between every possible device and huge market is what sells it over iBooks for me. Honestly I can't think of a single readin to use iBooks instead. Can anyone clue me in?
I use iBooks. When a book I want is available on the Kindle store and not on the iBookstore I buy it there and use Calibre to remove the DRM and convert it to ePub, so I can read it in iBooks.