When the iPad first came out, I somehow convinced myself that the Kindle was dead. Apple had managed to create something where you could not only read books, but also do everything else. Why on earth would anyone still cling to a single-purpose device like the Kindle? Surely this would be like carrying an iPod in one pocket and an iPhone in the other — pointless!
Ha! What really happened, of course, was much more subtle. Instead of killing the Kindle, the iPad just killed my desire to read books. From the time I got the first iPad until I rediscovered the Kindle this Christmas, I don’t think I finished a single book.
It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the technology story template of “Kindle killer”. A new product is usually always, and lazily, described in not so much what it does, but what it KILLS! If it bleeds, it leads.
Thankfully that delusion has now worn off and I’m back in love with e-ink and have finished four books since Christmas.
I still don’t understand why I can read blogs, news, and code on a screen all day with nary a complaint, but I can’t finish a book on the iPad. But I’m not going to argue, I’m just glad that I’m reading books again.
David wrote this on Jan 18 2012 There are 71 comments.
Andy Beal 18 Jan 12
I specifically asked for the most basic Kindle for Christmas, so I would not get distracted by email, social pinging, and other apps. I love it just for being a book reader!
Boyink 18 Jan 12
I don’t have an iPad, but do have an iPhone and Macbook Air in addition to the current entry-level Kindle.
What I appreciate about this Kindle is that it’s a single-purpose machine. No email client, no twitter client, no web browser. When I pick it up after a day already spent staring at screens I read because there is nothing else to distract me.
That and the e-Ink is just so much easier on the eyes.
Matt Certo 18 Jan 12
Completely agree. I have one of the first Kindles…it’s old and discolored but I absolutely love the thing. I take it to the beach and keep it next to my bed for reading. I have the Kindle app on my iPad for reading at other times, but I love being able to “just read” witha separate device without the nagging sound of email or Twitter.
Louis Gudema 18 Jan 12
I have the iPad, and have read several books on it. Since the Web browsing experience is so hobbled - a day doesn’t go by that I don’t come across a page or pages that won’t load (no Flash, etc.) - that it’s not always a distraction :-(
I gave my wife the Kindle Fire. It has some first release issues they need to work out. Don’t know what I’d get for my next tablet.
Louis Gudema Vice President of Business Development Overdrive Interactive
ThatGuyKC 18 Jan 12
I’m with you, David. When I got the iPad I sold my Kindle and promptly stopped reading. The iPad is a genius device, but the beauty of the Kindle is the single purpose. With the Kindle I’m always reading. With the iPad, I’m playing.
Dave Keyes 18 Jan 12
I’ve happily read 35 kindle books on my iPhone and iPad over the past year. Black background, grey text. Happy as larry… reading more than I have in years.
Martin Cortez 18 Jan 12
Interesting.
I’ve finished a few books (including the Steve Jobs bio, of course) on the iPad. I like reading books on the iPad in bed before sleeping, while on the stationary bike at the gym, and while riding on the bus.
I’m currently halfway through Infinite Jest (a lengthy tome), and i’ve highlighted many passages that i can identify with. Don’t know if the Kindle can do that, but I like being re-inspired by my highlights when I pick it back up. That feature motivates me to keep reading.
Haven’t tried the Kindle, would like to, but the iPad is simple and singular enough to keep me reading, and i’m also glad for that.
thanks for sharing!
marty
Xavier Noria 18 Jan 12
Interesting, I have the opposite experience.
I purchased an IRex DR 1000 back in the day. It was some $600 or so, and I read a lot in that reader. A year later the iPad was launched and I knew it was going to be much better for me.
Why? I dislike the grayish screens, I don’t like how the text looks. Also, I definitely do not like the size of the Kindle, and cannot read PDFs that need formatting in them.
I’ve read quite a lot on the iPad, Kindle app, GoodReader, ... and it is my preferred device. No problem with my eyes. I gave the iRex to a relative.
MI 18 Jan 12
I guess I’m in the minority. While I am a Kindle lover, and bought the v1 on the release day and a DX later, my iPad completely (and happily) replaced them for me. I also consume quite a lot of technical content in PDF form, and there’s just no comparison between the iPad (and GoodReader) and the Kindle for that type of book. Viewing PDFs on the Kindle can most generously be described as frustrating.
The biggest downside to the iPad is that you do have to resist the temptation to multitask out of the book, but for me specifically that’s more than balanced out by the addition of the backlight. I know many people see that as a negative, but for someone who frequently reads in bed in a dark room, not having to deal with a book light is a big advantage for me.
Martin H. Normark 18 Jan 12
For me the iPhone provides a better reading experience. Since the iPhone is very small, reading fast is easier for me. Lots of short sighted goals, moving to the next page all the time.
Mattbuei 18 Jan 12
A post from a company which got some investment from Jeff Bezos (Amazon) talking good about Kindle. Wierd. ¬¬
Scott 18 Jan 12
Why did the iPad kill your desire to read books? If you didn’t like the iPad couldn’t you have gone back to paper books instead of not reading at all?
I say this as someone who has, after having sold off most of his book collection, fallen in love again with having a bookshelf full of books to browse, pull off, share, lend, and pique the interest of friends and family who stop by my office.
Alex 18 Jan 12
I too like e-ink Kindle for reading books with no images in it, but reading technical books with photos in it Kindle isn’t cut out to do so.
Rachel Cunliffe 18 Jan 12
I have a blog post drafted out which is along similar lines: I just can’t seem to finish reading ebooks on my ipad. I’m too easily distracted on there, I can’t “see” my progress when I put it down.
I find some ebooks useful (short ones), but for serious length reading, perhaps I’m too old school but I prefer paper still.
Roger Collins 18 Jan 12
Just be sure to avoid fiction. It’s a waste of time. There are so many amazing things that are real; don’t spend any time on a made-up story.
Michael 18 Jan 12
Roger, I believe it is you who are incomplete.
1. A story is a means to teach some truths about the world that are difficult to grasp when presented plainly. 2. To your brain, something “real” that you will never sense yourself or that leads you to nothing you will sense is essentially fake (not story-fake, just worthless.) 3. People who read great fiction do great things. Spend some time in the company of people who read Homer and Virgil. You’ll feel embarrassed and inadequate in about ten minutes.
David 18 Jan 12
I own both devices, and agree that the Kindle is a far better way to read books. A combination of the form factor, screen and clever UI (you can turn pages holding it in one hand) makes the kindle not only better than the heavier, brighter iPad but also better than a printed book.
The image quality is the biggest problem with the kindle, and means that for certain design or technical books I am more likely to use the iPad.
Juan 18 Jan 12
same here, got a Kindle Touch WiFi for christmass and my reading spirit is renewed, I’ve read 8 books so long, and 4 others are in the queue list,
xD one of them is “The cathedral and the Bazaar”
DHH 18 Jan 12
Mattbuei, dude, keep it quiet! The deal with Bezos kickbacks depends on us keeping this on the downlo. We have at least a $87.56 royalty check coming and you’re putting that at risk now. Not cool, man. NOT COOL !
Scott 18 Jan 12
@Michael – I think Roger was poking fun at David because his reading list is all non-fiction.
Adam Shields 18 Jan 12
I strongly prefer the eink. The single purpose device is also important for people that are easily distracted.
Aaronn H. 18 Jan 12
I have to speak up with the iPad readers. The iPad has increased my reading a great deal since its release. I’ve read more books since in the last 2 years than in the 2 years before without a doubt. The iPad 2 is definitely an improvement as it is easier to hold, but either way I definitely prefer the backlit screen for reading at night without disturbing my wife.
However, the biggest issue for me with the Kindle (and all e-ink?) displays is the inversion flash on page turning. I always find that so distracting and slow. It makes me want to not read.
Mattbuei 18 Jan 12
@DHH, Sorry man, I will be quiet now. :)
Bubba 18 Jan 12
I like my Kindle (had it a couple months). But I’m going back to books in some instances. The last 2 tech books I wanted to buy were almost the same price that you could buy the paperback versions new. Does transferring a Kindle version through the internet really cost them so much?
RDO 18 Jan 12
David,
I’m one of the 80% that buys your books on paperback. I feel the same way about paper books vs. Kindle as you feel with the iPad vs Kindle. I owned the 3rd gen Kindle and ended up giving it away after a few months since I could not get myself to read any book for any substantial amount of time in it whereas I can get very immersed and read quite a bit with the paper version. There’s something I can’t really put my finger on that my brain just won’t accept e-ink readers. Don’t know if it’s the way you flip pages, the presence of a physical book or what. But one thing is for sure, if you want me to read any of your books in the future make sure it’s printed on paper :)
Paul 19 Jan 12
Which Kindle did you get?
Sam 19 Jan 12
Um, people, even the basic Kindle does have a web browser… It’s on the Experimental menu.
Matt White 19 Jan 12
Very similar experience here, except that I initially avoided buying a Kindle at all, as I was hoping the iPad would serve as an e-reader as well. I did read a number of books in the Kindle app, but it’s just way easier on the eyes to stare at e-ink than the backlit LCD . So, I got a Kindle Touch, which is just freaking awesome. The screen is crazy sharp, so sharp that it just doesn’t seem electronic, but that there is actual paper in there somewhere. The multitouch works great, and the battery life is astounding. It’s also much smaller and lighter than the iPad, so it’s a lot easier to toss in a pocket and take to the coffee shop, or to just have with you when you have a few minutes to kill. I still use my iPad all the time, but long-form reading is now relegated to the Kindle, and I couldn’t be happier.
Michael 19 Jan 12
Scott, ah, sorry for clumsiness if so. I had once read that Jason F. only reads non-fiction for those reasons so thought it was more of the same.
Rob P 19 Jan 12
I first loved reading on my ipad and read at least 10-14 books on it. Then just got tired of the weight and didn’t want to pick up the ipad to read books and mainly used it to casually read news and my favorite blogs. BUT I just today got my kindle and looking forward to getting back into reading on it.
Jarrett 19 Jan 12
I love my e-ink Kindle for all of the reasons mentioned here. The Kindle and iPad are two different devices for two different purposes. IMO , the Kindle Fire (or any LCD reader variant) is just as terrible an idea as the reader on the iPad.
You’d think that would be more obvious to someone who’s written books on NOT trying to everything to all people. Do what you do, and kick ass at doing that thing.
Kenny 19 Jan 12
Just got a Kindle Fire and I am still adjusting to not being able to write in the book. In the past writing, underlining, and making comments in the back was nice but being able to find my notes in the Fire is proving to be much handier. I am probably in the minority but I like having a small one handed device that can do many tasks instead of the e-ink models. I do think that each serves a different market though. And when I am not sharpening the saw I am able to watch endless Archer episodes.
Zoop 19 Jan 12
Nary I thought occurred to you that a real book wouldn’t suffice instead? Oh man.
Anonymous Coward 19 Jan 12
When is Basecamp Next being released?
Rockiger 19 Jan 12
The problem with the iPad is, it’s to heavy for reading books. If you are into a great book from Kafka or Mann you read several ours and you change position frequently. Thats it simply not working with the iPad.
Andy 19 Jan 12
Since the ‘Full screen mode’ made an appearance in iBooks, I haven’t picked up my Kindle once. I only use the Kindle for reading outdoors in sunlight, which is a rare enough occasion in the UK that the Kindle hardly gets used these days.
Shiva 19 Jan 12
Unplug the ipad from the net, and you will be reading again in the kindle app.
When you are connected, its hard to prioritize reading books. When unplugged, the attraction will return.
Sofia Cardita 19 Jan 12
I have read more tech books in a row since buying a kindle than ever before. They’re always with me (no having to choose one of them and dragging them in my bag, only to find out that in that specific day i didn’t read but my shoulder still complains) and it’s very confortable. So different from the reading experience in apple devices. I love my kindle. I’ve bought tons more books from amazon so I guess their bet payed off.
Ben Garvey 19 Jan 12
I bought my wife the latest e-ink Kindle for Christmas and I think I definitely made the right choice over the Fire. We have an iPad and everyone in our family just plays Angry Birds or uses GarageBand on it.
Ron Green 19 Jan 12
Maybe it’s not so much the eInk as it’s the form factor.
Noigel 19 Jan 12
I use the Kindle for fiction. I use the iPad for educational and resource type books (and for comics). They are both excellent for those purposes.
Kindle isn’t great for graphics/resource books… or comics (and believe me I tried).
iPad could do fiction for me but it’s heavier so it limits where I can comfortably read.
I can understand the limitation and I like them both though. :)
C. da Silva 19 Jan 12
People are going to get used to read in a digital device eventually, either ipad or kindle or other device. See this interesting article
http://bit.ly/xsnulk
Scott 19 Jan 12
“The problem with the iPad is, it’s too heavy for reading books.” – haha, lol.
Before e-readers, I’ve never heard anyone say “I really wanted to read Kafka, but at 1.2 pounds, it is just simply too heavy to read.”
If weight has not stopped you from reading a real book before, don’t let it stop you from reading an e book now.
eurotrash 19 Jan 12
Blame Angry Birds.
MattO 19 Jan 12
@RDO I’m with you. Give me a real book any day.
Brad 19 Jan 12
I have a MacBookPro, iPhone and have had four kindles (2/3/graphite DX). Nothing beats the Kindle for straight reading. I recently got the DX as a refurb for $199 and I will never regret it. The ability to view PDFs in a readable format is great and the larger screen is so much better for reading mobi or converted epub. I probably have ADD so it is important that I can’t just flip over to a web browser and start wandering off on a tangent when my goal is to finish the book that is in front of me.
If you use a kindle (or any reader), but calibre to manage your library. You will not regret it.
Dominic Pettifer 19 Jan 12
iPad’s LCD screen can be easy on the eyes if you turn the brightness right now. Even on the lowest possible brightness setting, the iPad screen is still perfectly readable (unless you’re outside).
But many people don’t bother to adjust the brightness, or have it on full. This not only strains your eyes, but can also affect your sleep.
I read all the way through Girl With The Dragon Tattoo on the lowest brightness setting on my iPad, no problems at all.
DHH 19 Jan 12
Dominic, that’s actually why I got a Kindle in the first place. I wanted to read outside. Then after I got it, I realized that I just read a ton more—inside and out!
Tom Carswell 19 Jan 12
The Kindle does one task very well: allow you to FOCUS on reading.
Far fewer possible distractions than a (insert name of computing device here).
Ryan Walker 19 Jan 12
@dhh – what 4 books did you finish?
Ezequiel Crespo 19 Jan 12
exactly the same thing happened to me.. just bought myself a kindle for my last birthday (1st week of january) and I finished 3 books already.. starting my 4th right now! yey!
Jon Hendry 19 Jan 12
I like the real page-turning buttons on the kindles I own.
On the iPad, in either the Kindle app or iBooks, I find I often accidentally jump far ahead or behind due to touching the screen.
On the Kindle app, jumping ahead is a problem because it’ll be mistaken for your current reading location and saved for syncing that location with other devices. (Amazon really ought to provide a means to reset that!)
Jon Hendry 19 Jan 12
Incidentally, I find that ‘cool white’ lights, such as LEDs or CFLs, provide better illumination of a kindle screen than ‘warm’ tone lights, such as regular incandescents. The warm-toned light doesn’t seem to provide as much contrast, producing a muddy brownish-grey.
DHH 19 Jan 12
Ryan, I finished Liar’s Poker, Steve Jobs bio, F Wall Street, With Liberty & Justice for Some.
Casey Schorr 19 Jan 12
So true. I also went from Kindle > iPad > back to Kindle and I read a lot more on the Kindle. I think Amazon is going to win the book war, not apple. The Kindle is all-around better for books. Not just the Kindle Reader, but their entire ecosystem is better! Thanks for sharing. Pick up Atlas Shrugged, best book I’ve ever read, it’s the entrepreneur/ business man/ creator’s bible.
Brad 20 Jan 12
Kindle should win for traditional books, but iPad will win for text books. The problem is that too many text books will become semi-static web sites. Younger kids need more linear reading when they are trying to learn and not lots of sidebars and popouts and things like that.
Matt B 20 Jan 12
Roger Collins 18 Jan 12 Just be sure to avoid fiction. It’s a waste of time. There are so many amazing things that are real; don’t spend any time on a made-up story.
This is one of the more ludicrous ideas I’ve ever heard. You might as well just scream “I take myself too seriously!”
Blacktiger 20 Jan 12
I have never owned an eInk reader, but I read a lot of books on my iPad. Since I got my iPad I find that I prefer reading books on it to reading a real physical book. I have heard many people complain about the ipad being heavy, but it is lighter than many of the books I read and I don’t have to physically hold the pages open all the time.
BizSnype 20 Jan 12
@Bubba, I think the tech books on the Kindle/iPad are similar in price to the print version because they have a limited shelf life.
A book of fiction could enjoy a shelf life of generations. (I recently bought some Sherlock Holmes and The Hobbit). Whereas a book on F# may only be relevant for a few years.
Anonymous Coward 20 Jan 12
When is Basecamp Next being released?
Jake 20 Jan 12
I hear Basecamp was rewritten in Python.
Austin Office Space Advisors 20 Jan 12
I have purchased 4 books for my Ipad however have not finished one yet. Most of us work on computers all day so trying to read a book on one also seems to strain my eyes, AND I can’t seem to keep from checking work email while reading. I get distracted. I have also gone back to buying traditional books. It’s nice to take a break from technology every now and then.
@Jake 20 Jan 12
No, what you heard was not exactly right. Basecamp Next was written in Rails 3.x… but was written by Monty Python.
Bob Weber 20 Jan 12
I got a Kindle touch for Christmas, and love it. I definitely think there is room for a dedicated reading device in my life. The iPad is great, and I like reading on my Android phone at the gym just because of the size, but the Kindle is by far my favorite for just reading.
Nathan 21 Jan 12
Since I spent my entire youth staring at a flickering 50Hz Commodore CRT screen, I have absolutely no problems reading for hours on the iPad or any LCD screen as long as the brightness is turned way down. Plus the Kindle’s rendering speed of large pdf files is much too slow for me.
I’m definitely looking forward to the retina version though. The fonts are just too pixelated to be beautiful.
Stephen 21 Jan 12
I had a second generation Kindle, and never really got into it. Ugly font. Too many things on-screen when I was trying to read. Too many buttons.
Recently, I borrowed a friend’s Nook Touch with e-ink and loved it. I am an Amazon Prime member, but just like the Amazon website, the Kindle gets the job done fantastically but somehow manages to be slightly ugly.
In comparison, I find the Nook to be well designed and well thought out (with touch and buttons) + a nice GUI and lots of options for fonts, etc. Just holding it feels better.
If you aren’t already invested in the Kindle ecosystem, do yourself a favor and at least consider the Nook option. Once you choose a vendor, changing later can be a pain.
David 22 Jan 12
I read books and screenplays like crazy on my iPad. I’m actually reading more than ever now. I guess it’s important to know what works for each of us individually. My girlfriend has an iPad and an e-reader.
Filip 22 Jan 12
I think the e-ink is better for reading e-books than iPad. iBooks 2 looks pretty good and it’s interactive, but for reading is still old kindle better.
indi 23 Jan 12
I have reads tons and tons of books on the small form factor iPhone and before that the Palm devices. Great for one-handed reading. Wherever I am, waiting in a long line, in a doctors office, at lunch, waiting for an app to compile or download content from our CMS , I can pick up the iPhone and read a few pages. I use Stanza, which fortunately was given one last boost of life to work on iOS 5, in night mode with light text on a dark screen. At night in bed I turn the brightness all the way down. It is really comfortable and just tap with my thumb to go to the next page. I used to buy lots of paper books, and sometimes miss turning real pages, but the convenience of holding a light device can’t be beat. Plus in the sunlight it is easier to shade the small screen of the iPhone over the large iPad screen, so beach reading is still possible. I mean, I’m going to have my phone with me all the time anyway, why not use it for reading?
Farsi dictionary 24 Jan 12
Maybe IPad is not so comfortable for reading book, I’m using Kindle everyday and reading ebook is my No.1 habit.
Max Al Farakh 25 Jan 12
Thanks, David, for giving me a final punch to buy Kindle. I had the same problem and now I’m reading again. Wrote about my experience in more detail on my blog here.
This discussion is closed.