You'll get an eReader plus all the extra an iPad offers, so you won't go wrong.
Upselling from a $139 Kindle to a $499 iPad is a big move if an ereader is what he really wants.
Well, considering that you can get Nook, Kindle, PDFs and iBooks books on the same iPad it is not quite a straight comparison. IMO that what makes the iPad so much better ereader, it can do so much more, and I got All mayor iBooks distributor available to me. I am no lock to one vendor
Kindle does .pdfs as well. You'd be hard-pressed to find a bigger fan of the iPad than me, but if a person just wants an e-reader then the Kindle is a no-brainer at $139.
I didn't say that the Kindle didn't read PDFs, i was just listing all that the iPAd read, my point being that the $199 vs $499 comparison it is not a fair comparison since the $499 device can do so much more Including access to all ereader book sources (and Exclusivities).
If your looking for strictly an ereader, or even the best ereader, get a kindle. While the Ipad makes for a perfectly good ereader, its not nearly as good as the e ink readers.
I'm not even trying to compare them. I'm saying if someone wants a bicycle there's no point in convincing them a motorcycle is better. If the original question was about a multi-purpose device that also had e-reader functionality then I'd say "iPad" all the way. Only the OP knows whether the "motorcycle" would be useful. So, I wasn't doing an either/or, merely stating that if the $139 device will do what you want it to do then don't bother with the iPad.
Upselling from a $139 Kindle to a $499 iPad is a big move if an ereader is what he really wants.
I agree with this. I own both. No backlit screen can match e-ink for readability over hours and hours. If you're doing serious reading (over 20 pages a day or so), stick with the Kindle if it's pure text. There's no comparison. I had to read 350 pages the other day and I would have just died doing it on the iPad.
i do fine with my paperback and hardcovers. i dont like paying the same price for something that is digital as the physical copy. i heard a rumor that apple is the cause of the sudden rise in ebook prices. amazon had forced publishers into the no higher than $9.99 for a while. then along came the ipad and apple sided with publishers and not consumers. cant blame them tho. if publishers can sell their books for more then apple can have a bigger slice of the pie. and who doesnt like more pie?
oh but you asked if the ipad can do the ereader role. sure, itll do it well enough. looks cool for graphic novels.
@piggie I think your mother will LOVE the Kindle, just make sure you get her the one with 3G since she doesn't do a lot with computers ( unless she lives with you and you control the wifi)
I love my Ipad but after a while I realized that after reading at night before going to bed, I was having difficulty going to sleep. Went back to reading on the Kindle and that problem went away. Maybe I am just one of those weird people who has sleeping issues after looking at a backlit screen but I can't read or be online before trying to sleep!
May I also suggest that you get her the lighted case for the Kindle, I really like it and no more batteries to buy is a plus!
Patty
Thanks.
The battery life is a big bonus, I can't see her charging something up very often, the weight, being elderly.
I also wish the latest one did not have a keyboard on the front. Just makes it more complicated looking. Bit it's not behind a flap or something.
She'd never needed a keyboard on a book before !
Keyboard is easy to use for searching, or in the book store. It wont take her very long to figure it out.
It's better than the nook color, but it's a tablet with reader apps, not an e-reader because it has no e-ink, you can't read a lot without bleeding eyes