iPad and eBooks (convincing parents:D)

[Piggie]

Battery life is EVERYTHING with these devices.

If the battery is dead, you may as well be holding onto a brick!

Only when you have decided the battery life of any device is long enough to meet your needs should you start worrying about other features.

Does not matter how fantastic anything is, and what it can do for you, if it's dead, then it's worthless.

 

[Ashin]

I got mine for university, will take a laptop too though ofc.

When my mum saw is she was amazed with it, and said she wanted one since it is so clear to read on and browse the internet

I can see how Apple believe tablets could take over from PC, my parents absolutely love it compared to their cumbersome and slow PC

 

[ninerfan]

To answer your question in two words: It's MAGIC!!

Addressing the e-reader aspect: I use Overdrive to check out books from my library. I use the iBooks and Kindle apps to purchase books. I don't have any problem with glare. You can control the brightness of the page both within the app itself and through iPad settings. I have not picked up a paper book, or a newspaper or magazine, for that matter, for 2 months. I love the size of the ipad2 for reading. Dedicated readers are too small.

Games, music, Internet, productivity, reading. It has everything.

This iPad 2 has become an indispensable part of my life. Get one!!! You will be so happy you did!

 

[davidlw]

I love reading Books on my iPad but if you just need a very nice ereader, look at the Nook Color. Nice machine and not too expensive.

 

[appleguy123]

I own both devices, and I must say that the Kindle is so much better for reading books, but if I were only to get one, it would be the iPad as it does so much more(this was typed on an iPad).
-The Kindle has a fantastic battery. With it you can really just forget that you own a kindle and pick it up whenever you want to read.
-the iPad's screen is bad for long reading. Some people disagree, but the brought screen really messes with your eyes after awhile, even while just web browsing. But yymv
-you can email books and documents directly to your kindle. You cannot do this with the kindle app for iPad.
-wait for the retina iPad coming next year if you want a good reader. It will probably prompt me to sell my kindle.
-the iPad can read in the dark, which is an advantage.

 

[Virgo]

I have a nook and it's great for reading. Just like paper. I think I'm going to keep it even once I get my iPad. The new nook just came out and it has a touch screen, so even better, no annoying buttons.

But if you're looking for something for kids books, I heard the nook color is great with that, and is half the price of an iPad. Just throwing some other options out there, because I couldn't see myself wanting an iPad JUST because I wanted to read on it.

 

[Night Spring]

-you can email books and documents directly to your kindle. You cannot do this with the kindle app for iPad.

Why would you need to open emailed documents with the kindle app on the iPad? There are a ton of other apps you can use for that!

Also, you can email ePub format books and open them in iBooks or one pf the other ereader apps that handles that format.

That is the advantage of the iPad -- if something can't be done in one app, you can look for, and often find, another app that does it.

 

[palpatine]

KINDLE
This is the best e-reader. I would recommend the 6" Kindle IF you are only reading ebooks. I would recommend the Kindle DX IF you are reading ebooks and PDFs that are in single columns without tables (in other words, uncomplicated formatting).

The Kindle has wonderful usability, and is easily one of the best-designed gadgets on the market right now. A kid or a grandparent could pick it up and use it with only a few instructions. It may not be as pretty as other devices, but it is definitely usable and durable.

Battery life is fabulous. I am a frequent flier, and for international trips I always bring my DX. Sometimes I can go the entire trip (both plane rides and time in between) without a charge. That is cool.

The memory is capacious. I have hundreds of PDFs and books in mine right now. I doubt you will run out of space, and you certainly have enough space to hold the books you might want to read on a trip. If you have your computer with you, you can move files around quite easily. In addition, you can access your Amazon account from any country to download books, so you don't even need to have the books you have bought in your device. In other words, you could purchase every ebook in the world, have that in your Amazon account, and just load in the ones you want to read (obviously, before you get on the plane). You have a Touch, so you can give this a try. Lots of free books are available.

The Kindle has drawbacks. Email and web browsing work in a pinch, but frankly, I think it is an unpleasant experience.

The Kindle doesn't do so well manipulating PDFs. Zooming and jumping around (in reference works, for example) is unpleasantly slow.

The Kindle has awful non-English support. You CAN read other languages, but a lot of times ebooks don't exist for it, and you cannot input foreign languages, so no searching or annotations will be possible. In addition, Amazon (like other companies) has to abide by international laws, and unless you have a credit card account in the US, you may not be able to access the full range of books. Try this out with the Kindle app on your iPod Touch to see what I am talking about.

IPAD
This is the best all around device. You already have an iPod Touch, so you know what I am talking about. Reading a book on the iPad is the same as with the Touch, but with more screen space. Glare is the same with the iPad as it is with the Touch (I haven't personally found it to be a big issue). The iPad is really good at accessing all book formats (so you can use .epub without having to convert files) and it has full language support. Chinese is no problem.

The biggest drawback, for me, is the battery life. It is simply unable to handle an international flight, and you will probably want to bring along an external battery if you are traveling any significant distance. Remember, it isn't just the plane ride, but sitting in the airport, riding the trains/planes/cars, etc.

SCHOOL
I use the iPad for school (I am a graduate student), and it has been a huge help. I also use the Kindle DX for reading some stuff, but a lot of my PDFs are of medieval manuscripts (handwritten Chinese), and the iPad does a better job of handling these. I highly recommend it. Basically, I have thousands of articles and books (I have scanned most of my personal library into PDF form) with me all of the time now, and that frees me from having to spend time in the library, or carry around books. Here is my workflow:
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/12564519/
Perhaps your parents will be more impressed with its education potential

 

[NebulaClash]

One consideration is WHERE they are going to read their ebooks:

If they want to read their books at the beach or in the garden, the Kindle or Nook is sort of the only way to go.

If they want to read in the living room with a lamp providing illumination, it's a toss-up.

If they want to read in bed with the lights out so as to not disturb their spouse, the iPad is the clear winner.

This is not a one size fits all answer.

 

[spiderman0616]

KINDLE
This is the best e-reader. I would recommend the 6" Kindle IF you are only reading ebooks. I would recommend the Kindle DX IF you are reading ebooks and PDFs that are in single columns without tables (in other words, uncomplicated formatting).

The Kindle has wonderful usability, and is easily one of the best-designed gadgets on the market right now. A kid or a grandparent could pick it up and use it with only a few instructions. It may not be as pretty as other devices, but it is definitely usable and durable.

Battery life is fabulous. I am a frequent flier, and for international trips I always bring my DX. Sometimes I can go the entire trip (both plane rides and time in between) without a charge. That is cool.

The memory is capacious. I have hundreds of PDFs and books in mine right now. I doubt you will run out of space, and you certainly have enough space to hold the books you might want to read on a trip. If you have your computer with you, you can move files around quite easily. In addition, you can access your Amazon account from any country to download books, so you don't even need to have the books you have bought in your device. In other words, you could purchase every ebook in the world, have that in your Amazon account, and just load in the ones you want to read (obviously, before you get on the plane). You have a Touch, so you can give this a try. Lots of free books are available.

The Kindle has drawbacks. Email and web browsing work in a pinch, but frankly, I think it is an unpleasant experience.

The Kindle doesn't do so well manipulating PDFs. Zooming and jumping around (in reference works, for example) is unpleasantly slow.

The Kindle has awful non-English support. You CAN read other languages, but a lot of times ebooks don't exist for it, and you cannot input foreign languages, so no searching or annotations will be possible. In addition, Amazon (like other companies) has to abide by international laws, and unless you have a credit card account in the US, you may not be able to access the full range of books. Try this out with the Kindle app on your iPod Touch to see what I am talking about.

IPAD
This is the best all around device. You already have an iPod Touch, so you know what I am talking about. Reading a book on the iPad is the same as with the Touch, but with more screen space. Glare is the same with the iPad as it is with the Touch (I haven't personally found it to be a big issue). The iPad is really good at accessing all book formats (so you can use .epub without having to convert files) and it has full language support. Chinese is no problem.

The biggest drawback, for me, is the battery life. It is simply unable to handle an international flight, and you will probably want to bring along an external battery if you are traveling any significant distance. Remember, it isn't just the plane ride, but sitting in the airport, riding the trains/planes/cars, etc.

SCHOOL
I use the iPad for school (I am a graduate student), and it has been a huge help. I also use the Kindle DX for reading some stuff, but a lot of my PDFs are of medieval manuscripts (handwritten Chinese), and the iPad does a better job of handling these. I highly recommend it. Basically, I have thousands of articles and books (I have scanned most of my personal library into PDF form) with me all of the time now, and that frees me from having to spend time in the library, or carry around books. Here is my workflow:
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/12564519/
Perhaps your parents will be more impressed with its education potential

Just commenting on some of your thoughts about the glare factor for iPad--

I just used mine outside for the first time last weekend in very bright sunlight. I'm not going to claim that it was not annoying--it was. The iPhone 4 retina display is a much much better display in direct sunlight. However, I did find that if I angled the iPad correctly, the glare was not an issue at all. I sat out on the back patio in my pajamas with a cup of coffee for about an hour and read Flipboard stuff with no problems.

But I will say if you're outside using an iPad on a sunny day, see if you can find somewhere with some shade. There will be glare.

 

[palpatine]

I still think it is more about what you read tha tis most important, but regarding the glare:

One consideration is WHERE they are going to read their ebooks: If they want to read their books at the beach or in the garden, the Kindle or Nook is sort of the only way to go.

I usually read under a patio umbrella at home or beach umbrella at the Jersey shore (who wants skin cancer?), but even in direct sunlight (on campus) as spiderman said, you just angle it. Sure, e-ink is great, and glare exists to some degree on the iPad, but I don't think it is as much of a big deal as Amazon makes it out to be.

If they want to read in the living room with a lamp providing illumination, it's a toss-up.

No glare problem for me. I just angle the light away for the iPad, and shine it more or less directly on the Kindle.

If they want to read in bed with the lights out so as to not disturb their spouse, the iPad is the clear winner.

I am always the contrarian I guess, but the Kindle is the winner here. Clip on a night light and it is infinitely better than the iPad. I think the computer screen wears out my eyes in the dark, even with the dim settings, and I prefer not to read the ipad in bed. In addition, with the keyboard on the Kindle DX it props up on my chest to place the text in a perfect position. If I had a belly instead of a six pack, it might be even better

This is not a one size fits all answer.

So true. In all three cases (in my opinion) e-ink is the best. From my perspective, it depends if you plan to read books (extended reading), journal articles (shorter), PDFs (simple text or in need of zooming and manipulation?), magazines (even shorter), or websites (skipping around).

 

[NebulaClash]

Heh, whereas for me e-ink is a non-starter because it tires my eyes (go figure). This is why to me the bottom line is that each person has to try it out for themselves and figure out what works for THEM. It does no good to have dozens of people telling them in a thread that solution A is the best if it turns out that solution B is the right one for them. Even if they are the only person in the world for whom solution B is right, it is right for THEM.

 

[Sanveann]

I am always the contrarian I guess, but the Kindle is the winner here. Clip on a night light and it is infinitely better than the iPad. I think the computer screen wears out my eyes in the dark, even with the dim settings, and I prefer not to read the ipad in bed.

I also prefer the Kindle for reading in bed -- I just have the case with the built-in light.

Another thing I find handy about the Kindle is that it's easy to hold with one hand. While that may not be a big concern for some, I have a baby on the way, and past experience tells me that I'm going to be spending a LOT of time reading while nursing or rocking a munchkin. Much easier to do if you only have to devote one hand to holding your "book." (I read all of "Vanity Fair" when my second was a nursling ... not something I could have done with a book whose print editions run to 700-plus pages!) Not a huge concern for everyone, and obviously not to the OP, but something some people may want to consider.

 

[palpatine]

Heh, whereas for me e-ink is a non-starter because it tires my eyes (go figure). This is why to me the bottom line is that each person has to try it out for themselves and figure out what works for THEM. It does no good to have dozens of people telling them in a thread that solution A is the best if it turns out that solution B is the right one for them. Even if they are the only person in the world for whom solution B is right, it is right for THEM.

yep!

 

[MotleyGrrl]

Well OP, it seems that your family is looking for an e-reader and as e-readers go, the kindle is the best. If they want all of the fun extras and to pay much much more, then there is the ipad. I can see why you'd want the ipad, but for functions sake, the kindle is more apt fr what your parents are looking for.
My mom wanted an e-reader for christmas and I tried to talk her into an ipad, but after she tried both, the kindle was the winner.
I have an ipad2 and use it as an e-reader, but it does get heavy and annoying after a while. If I was into reading as mch as my mom is, I'd pick up a kindle.

 

[NebulaClash]

So the bottom line of this thread, ironically given all the good advice you've gotten, is to ignore what everybody in this thread has said. Your parents will decide for themselves what works for them, regardless of what any one of us thinks with our contradictory advice.