For someone who did not want to place these to devices head to head you really did a poor job. It sounds like you have already purchase an IPAD and want to bash the Kindle for doing nothing more than existing as a device that you do not find useful. Using an IPAD to read books for a short period is fine but with the LCD screen it will make your eyes tired really quick so it is not a serious competitor to the Kindle when it comes reading ebooks. The Kindle was made specifically for serious readers who wants to read for long periods of time and with the E-ink it makes it possible. The device was not made to surf the web but gives you the option if you feel the need. As for the touch screen, I tested the Nook with its touch screen and found the finger prints and shiny coating to be an eye sore and not particularly useful for someone who just enjoys reading. So thanks for the one sided article and the one sided way of thinking. For someone who is praising the IPAD for their innovation, even though so many people bashed it when it first came out, makes it very clear you are an APPLE fanatic who does not want any device to compete with any part of your precious IPAD. Please refrain from writing any future articles unless you can learn to pull your personal feelings out of it and just so that you know, I do not own a Kindle but hate people who bash technology that makes future devices possible.

I feel the same way as Daniel. This review was just the rant of an apple fanboy. Please write more objective articles from now on. I could bring up a couple points against the iPad that you neglected to mention due to the fact that you love apple so much

1. Its not an ereader. Its not, stop marketing it as such. its being sued because it lied to people saying its an ereader

2. Battery

3. Go buy an itouch instead. Its more portable and less than half the price.

Apple counts on people like you to churn out articles as free marketing. If they chose to call it a floorlamp, you would probably write an article titled:

Is the floorlamp dead, the iPAD can light up the house.
Why have a boring dedicated floorlamp when you can have an iPAD, it lights up the house and does soooo much more.

The above may have been a rant, but I am just tired of people and their irrational apple love. the iPad is going to ruin the netbook and ereader markets for all of us non apple lovers.

Gentlemen, I’d like to thank both of you for commenting on this post. I’m sorry that the article angered the both of you to the point of posting negative comments. However, both of you have COMPLETELY missed the point of the article.

This was NOT a review. Reviews are comprehensive product examinations that objectively evaluate a particular products suitability to a particular (set of) task(s). This article did NOT do that.

Reviews on JAMM usually include a great deal of pictures of the item in the spotlight, as well as comparison pictures of like devices. This article didn’t have ANY pictures. This article did NOT do that.

Just because a set of device specs or features is included in an article does NOT mean that it is a review. While this article did include specs of the Kindle 3, it was done simply because the device is new, and some readers may not know anything about it.

This article is NOT an Apple love fest. I am NOT an Apple fan boy. Apple gets a great deal of criticism from me on a REGULAR basis. Please insure you understand the issues at hand before making a negative comment.

What WAS this article then, if not a review? Great question. I’m glad you asked…

This article was an OPINION piece. Nothing more. Given the Android tablets that are in manufacturing, the iPad, and other larger screen devices (whether a smartphone or a tablet, or a PC), my point was that in the age of the Apple iPad, Amazon’s release of a monochromed device that does nothing more than allow a user to read books isn’t going to cut it. The device needs to do more.

When Kindle content can be read on OTHER devices LIKE the iPad, that natively runs the Amazon Kindle Application, its better for a consumer to buy THAT kind of a device than a dedicated device.

If the article did not portray that clearly, then your criticism of the article IN THAT LIGHT is accurate; but NOT in the light you painted it. Perhaps I should have put a little more thought into exactly what my point was and worded it better. I promise to do so in the future; and again, thank you for your comments.

Christopher Spera

…and just to clear up something, Daniel – I do NOT own an iPad. I DO own a Kindle 2 and enjoy it.

However, I do think that the days of a dedicated eReader are numbered, hence the article.

I think the commenters misunderstood the point of the piece. It was not the rantings of a fanboy but rather an opinion about market direction. I happen to agree – to a point.

I think that the iPad is eating a lot of netbook and even notebook marketshare right now. And it is eating some eReader marketshare as well. It is a general-purpose device rather than a single purpose device and that means it is better suited to some people’s needs, but less suited to others. One thing I don’t think anyone mentiones is that – as an ereader – it is MUCH better lin low-light or even no-light conditions than a Kindle! It is NOT the same as an iPod Touch becuase the apps have often been rewritten with additional features so buying an iPod touch would not be the same experience at all. Web surfing and eMail are much better experiences on the iPad than on the iPhone or iPod touch, for example. I suspect the commenters have not spent any real time with the iPad or they would know that.. Additionally, the Kindle App, in its latest incarnation is really well implemented on the iPad including the dictionary search and lookup features.

All those fanboy-type comments aside, I agree with Chris that ultimately Amazon’s business must be content – not devices – but I disagree with Chris in that I think there will remain some market for the Kindle devices. Some people will always prefer single-purpose devices and for some, they won’t want to risk their iPad on the beach or wherever they are going and the less expensive eReader will remain a less-costly, lower-risk device to carry. I predict, therefore, that a fair percentage of people will own both.

And – by the way – it is my opinion that opinion pieces SHOULD express personal feelings!

I don’t own an iPad or Kindle, but plan on getting both! They’re apples and oranges.

I disagree that the days of dedicated eReaders are numbered. I think they’re just getting started. You wrote a lengthy article and failed to point out the most obvious stength of the Kindle — e-Ink. One day there’ll be a screen technology convergence, but that’s not now. A Kindle is ideal for static content: books, magazines, most web pages, for lengthy, easy on the eyes and outside viewing. It’s small and lightweight. And in the future, imagine a crisp color e-Ink display! And… with the now very appealing price dropping even further.

Amazon hit a home run with the Kindle 3 as is apparant by my excitement towards the product (I was so, so about getting an earlier Kindle). They’re following exactly the right strategy: remaining disciplined and not in a panic to try to outcompete Apple in its niche, but buidling on the unique strengths of its product line. This is a win win for all of us.

I hope you are wrong about the Kindle hardware. I looked into an iPad, and it’s nothing more than a glorified netbook — without a keyboard. It’s probably a useful device, and the UI is great, but it is not for me. When I want a notebook, I want a notebook. I don’t want a puny 1024×768 screen; I want to do work. The iPad is a nice trendy toy for trendy people.

The Kindle is a totally different animal. It is for reading books. Period. The e-ink display is far superior for long reading sessions compared to an LCD panel. The Kindle is smaller, lighter, and the battery lasts forever. For book reading, it’s the bomb.

I would much prefer the smaller and lighter Kindle for book reading. I much prefer the e-ink for reading. I do not want a touch screen overlaying the e-ink to grab fingerprints and degrade the text quality.

Not all of us want a fancy, overpriced toy. I would much rather slip a Kindle into my notebook bag when I need my notebook than own that little toy iPad and try to use it for notebooking and e-reading — both of which are a compromise on the iPad.

Well I wrote a giant response and typed in the stupid anti-spam words incorrectly and the webpage deleted my response… neat.

Not going to re-write all that but wanted to say that I absolutely disagree with the author of the article. I’d say the days of a dedicated e-reader are just beginning. The kindle is FAR superior to either iPad or a laptop or the iPhone for one thing… READING BOOKS. Just because you can read Kindle content on those devices doesn’t mean they can do it nearly as well.

I have the kindle app in my phone. I use it every once in a while. Would I say it remotedly approaches the Kindle as a way to read books? HECK NO!

I want a device that has 1) screen that won’t tire my eyes, 2) long battery life, 3) ability to store loads of books, 4) ability to load new books without a computer, 5) lightweight enough to read in bed comfortably. The kindle hits all those requirements far better than any multi-device on the market. I’ll keep buying them and they’ll keep makin’ them.

Well done, a combination of ignorance and arrogance that only the internet supports.

This is the same nonsense about “the iPhone 4 will kill the Flip Mino”. It won’t they are not the same thing. They only look a bit similar to the terminally under-informed.

Tell you what, let us revisit this in 12 months, and here is the deal, if the Kindle is still battling on, you leave the internet forever ?

This is all very interesting; especially how upset people get! I agree, there’s a market for both the Kindle and the iPad. I bought the iPad for my husband, he loves it. He loves reading books, surfing the internet, having his business documents, listening to music, watching movies, even using it like a phone through skype. It’s a great, very portable piece of technology! (He travels a lot, so it’s an amazing thing to bring on the plane; get tired of reading, watch a movie…. you get the point.)
With that being said, I have been on the fence on whether to get myself a Kindle or an iPad. I love the iPad, but do I really need to spend $500 when I have a computer and an iphone. (Btw, I would never both reading a book on an iphone.) I read a book on my husbands ipad, it was a pleasant experience. But I can’t help think that the bright, colored screen and the weight of it, would get draining. (It probably weighs the same as a large, hardback cover book – but who want to haul that around in their purse or arms all the time.) The Kindle, simple as it is, seems to be the ticket. As another post commented, you would bring the Kindle to the beach. (The iPad, not so much).
As much as I love and appreciate the iPad, it can’t take the place of a laptop, nor do I think it will take the place of the Kindle; especially with the huge difference in price.

I think the Kindle is awesome! I spent 30 minutes handling it and checking it out at target today. My wife told me she is thinking of getting me one for Christmas! And I am thrilled! Why the hell would I want an I-pad? I have a cell phone and a laptop. The kindle meets a real need! The I-pad, not so much. I am a reader. I need a device that accomodates my desire to read 100 books a year. The kindle is designed for this. The i-pad is a device for some trendy kid that, I am not even remotely interested in. For a student or a avid reader the kindle is the Bomb! You should re-think your opinion piece.

Since we’re comparing apples and oranges here, let’s boil it down to what really matters when comparing these two devices – reading books.

The iPad, though a great device, uses an LCD screen. LCD is like having a bunch of tiny pin-lights shining in your eyes. Sure, it is usable for reading eBooks, but most people (myself included) experience eye-strain when trying to read intensively using an LCD device. Also, I’ve tried using my iPad for reading in bed and though it does offer light in a dark setting I often find it hard to sleep right after a reading session, and this is fairly common as I understand.

eInk on the other hand mimics paper, and does it quite well. I never experience eye-strain using my Kindle and I never have problems sleeping after a long, intense reading session.

The iPad has a sever limitation when it comes to battery life. If I’m going out of town for a week or two all I have to bring for reading eBooks is my Kindle, I don’t have to remember to grab my charger. The Kindle can last a month on a single charge! I’m rarely away from home for more than a month.

The iPad is 3X heaver! Before the Kindle I found propping my iPad up to be cumbersome. There’s a big difference between 8.5 ounces and 1.5 pounds! The Kindle is FAR more comfortable for long reading sessions.

One of my favorite things to do is chill near a local river, or lake and read a book. I tried this once on my iPad and it sucked. The glare is unbearable when it’s sunny out, I feel like I’m trying to read through a mirror. Not so with Kindle, again it’s just like reading a book. This alone is a big deal-breaker for me when it comes to using the iPad as a dedicated eReader.

The Kindle is much smaller than the iPad. The Kindle 3 fits easily into my coat pocket and at 8.5 ounces it’s not very noticeable. Lugging the iPad to the office, or anywhere else, is cumbersome in comparison. At work I can walk down to the outdoor mall and easily bring my Kindle, in fact my Kindle goes everywhere with me, not my iPad.

I’m not hating on iPad, I think it’s an amazing device. I typically use mine for couch-surfing. It’s perfect for surfing the web, checking email, playing games, etc in my living room and the UI is revolutionary but no way do I want to lug it around everywhere with me.

If you’re an avid reader like myself then there’s really no comparison – the Kindle is the far better choice for reading. Also, the Kindle has been selling like hot cakes and it’s not slowing down, I don’t think it will become obsolete.

Once you own the iPad you won’t even want to use your laptop its that good. It is the best investment I ever made. I love it and can’t put it down. The reading is wonderful and no heavier that a hardback book, so why not get the iPad that meets all your needs. The kindle is just a reader and if that’s all you want then that’s what you should get.

Why on earth would I shell out $700+ (the model I would want) PLUS monthly AT&T service/usage fees for an iPad when I can pay $189 for a Kindle if my main purpose for the unit is READING ? Nonsense. Like was stated above , I alraedy have a PC and phone..why the hefty price for an iPad !

I don’t have an iPad2 or a Kindle3, but am seriously considering buying one of them in the next week or so. And, just for the record, I switched to an iMac desktop recently and will never, ever go back to a PC. Having tooted Apples horn, I must say that I am really leaning toward the Kindle. I like to read everywhere: outside (when it’s nice), at the coffee shop, on the couch, in bed. From what I’ve read, it seems to me that the Kindle is simply better suited for reading books – particularly for long reading sessions. I was a little bummed that the Kindle didn’t have a built in backlight. But maybe that would defeat the purpose or ruin the integrity of the e-ink display? Besides, there are some cool lights available, or I could just turn on the bedside lamp as I’ve been doing for the past 40 years! Anyway, thank you for the article – mainly because it prompted so many useful reviews that helped solidify my decision to purchase a Kindle!