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ipad good choice for eReader?
- Thread starter frocco
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Publishers, book stores, purchasers of books, and people who love books.
Says this person who reads an average of a book a day on an iPad.
my aunt wants an ereader for christmas. I contemplated getting her an iPad. but I think even though she may use it for some web she'll get annoyed she cant play her facebook games on it and even more annoyed if the screen hurts her eyes for reading as she reads alot of books. so im going with the kindle.
I always say that everyone should check out each device in person before deciding. I, for example, tried a Kindle and found it strained my eyes (too dark). The iPad, in contrast, let's me read all day long without strain. I know, others in this thread have expressed the exact opposite. Go figure, we are all different. If someone got me a Kindle, I would have eye strain. Each person must figure it out for themselves.
I bought a relative (in their 80s) an iPad. That's it, he loves it so much he never wants to read paper books again. His words, unprompted by me.
So please don't take anyone's opinion in this thread (including mine) as gospel. All we can do is tell you what works for US, but you have to figure it out for yourself.
I bought a relative (in their 80s) an iPad. That's it, he loves it so much he never wants to read paper books again. His words, unprompted by me.
So please don't take anyone's opinion in this thread (including mine) as gospel. All we can do is tell you what works for US, but you have to figure it out for yourself.
It's a matter of personal preference.
I would choose my iPad over any eReader. But that's my personal preference. I tried reading under the sun but it was very difficult; so reading at the beach or by the pool without some shadow is not good. Of course, I have better things to do at the beach or pool than reading.
For reading indoors, the iPad has been great to me. Last Friday I read over 100 pages of a technical book in about an hour without any problems. As a matter of fact, I now feel more comfortable reading on the IPad than on a regular book. The backlight provides good contrast and makes text easier to read.
In the end, each person should try both to see what works better for them. Maybe spend some time at a local store reading, or borrow from a friend, etc.
I would choose my iPad over any eReader. But that's my personal preference. I tried reading under the sun but it was very difficult; so reading at the beach or by the pool without some shadow is not good. Of course, I have better things to do at the beach or pool than reading.
For reading indoors, the iPad has been great to me. Last Friday I read over 100 pages of a technical book in about an hour without any problems. As a matter of fact, I now feel more comfortable reading on the IPad than on a regular book. The backlight provides good contrast and makes text easier to read.
In the end, each person should try both to see what works better for them. Maybe spend some time at a local store reading, or borrow from a friend, etc.
Is this really up for debate? Reading books is MUCH easier on the eyes on a Kindle than on the iPad.
You must be new here.
You want to make broad objective comparisons? In optimal conditions for the Kindle, it's a superior device, but people don't live in optimal conditions. There are situations where one beats the other but you really can't make general statements. In good ambient lighting and outdoors in sunlight the Kindle is an easy winner. In sub-optimal light the Kindle is a poor device and external LED lights are a poor compromise. When I read in bed I grab my iPad (even though the Kindle is in easy reach), same for lounging on the sofa. The convenience of carrying a single device means I read on my iPad on my daily commute and ditto for planes (where the crappy task lights don't provide even illumination for Kindle reading).
I am the opposite. I own a Kindle and an iPad. I use the iPad for all my ereading. This includes books, PDFs, newspapers, magazines, interactive children books.
My Kindle will be used for beach reading only for now on.
I don't really disagree that the iPad is a "good" eReader device, particularly when you consider that being a 'closed' system it supports just about every eReader format available via installation of an app or three. In dim light or a dark room its likely the best one available today thanks to the bright screen (although I still wish iBooks supported white screen on black text like the Kindle app does).
But that last part about being a "bit harder" to read in direct sunlight? In my experience, its more like "unusable" in direct sunlight, if we are meaning no-shade, sun shining right down onto the screen kind of sunlight. If you CAN read it, it will overheat faster than you can get through a few pages. I simply can't use mine when lounging around the pool in the backyard even if I'm under our umbrella.
I never mentioned anything about convenience or optimal lighting conditions, merely the fact that the Kindle is easier on the eyes than the iPad. Not sure if I can dumb it down anymore for you.
YES, it is up for debate because your statement is absolutely, categorically FALSE.
Now if you wanted to amend your statement to say that a Kindle is easier on the eyes FOR YOU, that would be just fine, and it would be a true statement. But since reading books is MUCH easier on MY eyes on an iPad than a Kindle, I see your categorical statement and shake my head at how you could possibly be so wrong.
My point is that we are all different. So nobody can categorically state that one device is better than another device for everyone. It simply is not true. Each person will decide for themselves what works for THEM. That is the only true statement that can be made that includes everyone.
I read a ton on my iPad. Coming from a Kindle, I notice no difference when it comes to eye strain.
And I'm saying that you can't "dumb it down" because nobody reads in consistent or identical conditions. So in a well-lit room the Kindle is "easier on the eyes" but that's not necessarily the case in other conditions.
And what controlled, peer reviewed study are you citing to qualify that statement?
The fact of the matter is that an awfully large number of us have no trouble whatsoever reading extensively on the iPad. Personally, I have read many thousands of pages, including some days of 10+ hours of reading (books - not Internet), with no issues whatsoever. The surprising thing is that I do often have eye issues with my regular computers. Furthermore, as already noted, in the real world, where lighting is often sub-optimal, a backlit screen has a huge advantage. Give it a try sometime.
Even in a well lit room, I prefer the iPad to the Kindle. It's a personal preference thing, and varies greatly from person to person. From the posts in this forum, I think the people who say they prefer e-ink appears to be the majority, but there is a significant minority who prefer LCD.
Fair enough.
After looking at my ACD or MBP screen for any extended period of time, my eyes get strained. I could only assume this applies to the iPad as well. Guess it doesn't for a good amount of people.
After looking at my ACD or MBP screen for any extended period of time, my eyes get strained. I could only assume this applies to the iPad as well. Guess it doesn't for a good amount of people.
No, it doesn't, and it doesn't seem to make any kind of intuitive sense, I know. But it surprised me to realize that there is a world of difference between looking at my LCD monitor at work and looking at my iPad at home. The iPad screen is restful for my eyes. No, I can't explain it. Yes, it's true for me.
I am a huge reader, and if reading was my main focus I'd get the Kindle. I also love all the other fun things I can do with an iPad, so I got the iPad instead. My understanding is that the Kindle is probably a better choice for pure reading. Having said that I've read numerous books on my iPad with no issues other than slight glare depending on the lighting.
Maybe if all your reading is plain books. But if you add magazines, newspapers, illustrated childrens books, you will find the iPad is far superior.
I'm another who prefers the iPad over the Kindle. I've never experienced eyestrain on either device and have read for more than 5 hours at a time on each. For me, the iPad reading experience is superior. I like the backlit screen, the screen size (fewer page turns), the tap to turn page, the tap for dictionary. And now we can make collections in iBooks!
Kindle PDFs are ugly, painful and difficult to read in many cases. I have over 400 philosophy PDFs that I keep on my iDisk and can open in 4 different apps on the iPad, read, make notes, copy from, quote for teaching or giving papers, and read in a format that includes the text as it is meant not as some translation software sees fit.
Having said that, for most people, the kindle is a better choice if all you want is a reader.