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Months into the Battle: iBooks or Kindle for iPad?
- Thread starter xomphos
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Not to "me too", but... well... me too!
I really prefer the iBooks interface and overall app (just need to add in some sort of folder/grouping functionality so you don't just have a single giant bookshelf).
However, because of the ease in reading a Kindle book on any computer (which I have used quite a bit), it wins hands down. The selection is of course a major factor as well, but I hope it balances over time, and I have worked on the pain-in-the-butt process of converting my Kindle books to work in iBooks. But it's a pain, and like I said, I can't read them on any of my computers or iPad and keep them synced.
If Apple made a simple iBooks program for PC/Mac (or extended iTunes to do it) with syncing your place and bookmarks across copies, then I would abandon the Kindle app altogether.
As I see it, this question / discussion needs to be broken down into a few distinctly different elements.
1) The Device
2) The eReader software / UI
3) The eBooks themselves in their respective formats.
4) The possible ability to read the books across various platforms.
As a very avid reader I've been an early adopter of eBooks (in addition to my traditional library) and own both an iPad and each generation of Kindle models.
It should be noted that the newest Kindle device is far superior to earlier models, which frankly are terrible by comparison.
With many hours of reading experience with each of the devices I own, I remain convinced the iPads primary strength is not as an eBook reader, but rather a superb web browser, light reading like a newspaper, and all the other tasks we're all aware of.
As a purpose built single focus device designed for eBook reading, the latest Kindle is simply ideal. Inside or outdoors the new Kindke is optimized to deliver a great experience, a job it does very well. Ergonomics are also just right fir it's intended purpose. So yes, one is certainly free to read eBooks on an iPad, yet your cheating yourself out if a truly relaxing and enjoyable read as provided by the kindle.
For me, the perfect solution is my new Kindle for eBooks & my iPad for the web and everything else.
1) The Device
2) The eReader software / UI
3) The eBooks themselves in their respective formats.
4) The possible ability to read the books across various platforms.
As a very avid reader I've been an early adopter of eBooks (in addition to my traditional library) and own both an iPad and each generation of Kindle models.
It should be noted that the newest Kindle device is far superior to earlier models, which frankly are terrible by comparison.
With many hours of reading experience with each of the devices I own, I remain convinced the iPads primary strength is not as an eBook reader, but rather a superb web browser, light reading like a newspaper, and all the other tasks we're all aware of.
As a purpose built single focus device designed for eBook reading, the latest Kindle is simply ideal. Inside or outdoors the new Kindke is optimized to deliver a great experience, a job it does very well. Ergonomics are also just right fir it's intended purpose. So yes, one is certainly free to read eBooks on an iPad, yet your cheating yourself out if a truly relaxing and enjoyable read as provided by the kindle.
For me, the perfect solution is my new Kindle for eBooks & my iPad for the web and everything else.
I use Kindle and iBooks equally, but the Kindle app is used for purchased content whereas iBooks is essentially my glorified PDF reader, mostly because the selection of books and pricing is better on Kindle.
Methinks one of the reasons that there isn't as big a selection and less attractive pricing is because publishers don't want Apple to have the de-facto monopoly on eBooks like what happened with music. But at least we can have the iBooks and Kindle app on the same device so it's not TOO much of an inconvenience.
Methinks one of the reasons that there isn't as big a selection and less attractive pricing is because publishers don't want Apple to have the de-facto monopoly on eBooks like what happened with music. But at least we can have the iBooks and Kindle app on the same device so it's not TOO much of an inconvenience.
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I love my iPad but for reading books, my Kindle blows it outta the water. The e-ink display is so much nicer on the eyes, it's lighter so holding it for a long time isn't as tiring, and the book selection is massive. You can use the Kindle app on the iPad to access the entire Kindle library but using the actual Kindle is so much better.
As stupid as it sounds, when you're reading with a Kindle, it's nice to be able to hold it with one hand and change pages with that same hand rather than moving your other hand to flip the page as is required on the iPad. It's a small inconvenience but one that can be a bit of a pain when you really get into your reading and have to readjust yourself every minute.
The only thing I use my iPad for reading is color PDFs for a couple magazines as they look much better on the iPad.
As stupid as it sounds, when you're reading with a Kindle, it's nice to be able to hold it with one hand and change pages with that same hand rather than moving your other hand to flip the page as is required on the iPad. It's a small inconvenience but one that can be a bit of a pain when you really get into your reading and have to readjust yourself every minute.
The only thing I use my iPad for reading is color PDFs for a couple magazines as they look much better on the iPad.
For serious readers, it's hard to beat the Kindle app. The sepia option, combined with low brightness is the only way to go. It's so easy on the eyes.
Does anyone not think it's a mess that at the moment you buy some books in the iBook store that can't be read by the kindle app, and you buy other books in the Kindle store that can't be read by the iBook app?
It's almost like having VHS and BETA players under the TV and two collections of movies, one for each format.
I thought we've grown up past this stage by 2010?
It's almost like having VHS and BETA players under the TV and two collections of movies, one for each format.
I thought we've grown up past this stage by 2010?
There will always be format wars every time a new technology is introduced.
At least it's relatively simple to convert Kindle and iBooks formats to each other if/when the DRM is removable. The iBooks app trumps the Kindle app in this respect, because you can add any book in epub format regardless of where you got it, and it keeps your place and bookmarks synced across all your iDevices. The Kindle app only accepts books you buy from Amazon.
Heck, you can say that for:
- Word processor docs
- Spreadsheets
- Presentations
- Music files
- Video games
- Movies
... and pretty much EVERYTHING else!
It would be surprising if that wasn't true ... not that I would mind
I have a bigger issue with the hold-back of new books and stupid pricing.
I like the iBooks app the most for reading books. It's light years nicer than the Kindle, Nook, Stanza apps. This isn't a shocker, iBooks is made by Apple, I expect the UX to be great.
That being said, I use all three (iBooks, Kindle, and Nook). Until book manufacturers can get off their ridiculous three hundred year old way of thinking and broaden their distribution methods, that's just how it is. I always look in iBooks first for a book, and only if it's not available, do I go elsewhere.
Also, you can at any time re-download an iBook. Just simply go to the iBooks app, tap on Store, and you'll see a purchases tab. Easy as that. No silly "archive" or other "whispernet" thing.
That being said, I use all three (iBooks, Kindle, and Nook). Until book manufacturers can get off their ridiculous three hundred year old way of thinking and broaden their distribution methods, that's just how it is. I always look in iBooks first for a book, and only if it's not available, do I go elsewhere.
Also, you can at any time re-download an iBook. Just simply go to the iBooks app, tap on Store, and you'll see a purchases tab. Easy as that. No silly "archive" or other "whispernet" thing.
What the hell are you on about?
The archive is exactly the same as the Purchased tab, except it requires less clicks to access.
Exactly - all three majors offer easy access to everything you bought on your account. My son still had the B&N eReader App on his iPod Touch (hadn't updated to nook) and a book he was reading crashed, and when we updated the whole library became available to download again ... nice.
iBooks, but keep in mind that it would not have gotten my vote without pdf support. I used Good Reader for all my pdfs in the past, but now only use it for game guides and other non-book files. I just put off adding all my book pdfs to my iTunes library until a few days ago.
I only wish one could change the background on the pdf viewing page from the gray lines to just black. If you have ideas, let me know, and if it's available on the 4.x update, oh well. Guess I'll just live with the gray
I only wish one could change the background on the pdf viewing page from the gray lines to just black. If you have ideas, let me know, and if it's available on the 4.x update, oh well. Guess I'll just live with the gray
iBooks. Better for the Apple Pro Training Series books. Kinda hard to learn color correction from a black and white book.
I just wish iBooks would catch up to Kindle in selection and price.
I just wish iBooks would catch up to Kindle in selection and price.