First Look: The Apple iPad vs. the Amazon Kindle Posted by Mike Li | at 5:29 PM

On Wednesday on January 27th, Apple announced the Apple iPad.  It had iPhone OS, could use all the applications that the iPhone had on the App Store, and even has an iWork suite designed for it (Apple's alternative to Microsoft Office).  However, despite all these features, the most prominent feature of the device was that you can read books, magazines, web sites, documents, whatever you wanted on it.  And the screen is ideal for that, because it utilizes nearly the entire screen for reading, unlike many other tablets.  And of course, it comes with the typical Apple design flourish, with the beautiful iBooks Store selling eBooks on the iPad.

So the closest competitor is the Amazon Kindle, which also utilizes all of its screen for eBook reading.  Unfortunately, things have turned out to be rather interesting for Amazon, not only because it competes with Apple's iTunes store with its MP3 store, but also because it is now competing against Apple again with the Kindle Store vs. the iBooks Store.  So without further ado, here is a chart representing their characteristics.

	Amazon Kindle	Apple iPad
Display	E Ink display. Kindle 2 is 6 inches diagonally; Kindle DX is 9.7 inches diagonally. Not a touchscreen.	9.7-inch LED (IPS) backlit display. Supports multi-touch.
Hardware	Kindle is 0.7 lbs, Kindle DX is 1.1 lbs. Both are 9mm thick, have navigation buttons, a toggle, 3.5mm headset jack and a keyboard.	1.5 lbs, 13.4mm thick. Has a Home button, volume controls, a screen lock slide switch and a 3.5mm headset jack.
Store	Amazon Kindle Store. Books are in Amazon's Kindle format.	iBooks store. Books are in the open ePub format.
Features	Able to subscribe to magazines and newspapers. Rudimentary web browser, PDF reader and 3G.	More than just an ebook reader. Has access to iTunes App Store, Safari browser, email, media player, games and more. Has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. 3G and GPS in some models.
Battery life	Four days with wireless, 10 days without wireless	10 hours use, one month standby
Connectivity	3G	Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, (3G and GPS optional)
Price	Kindle 2 (2GB) is $259 Kindle DX (4 GB) is $489. 3G is included.	iPads with Wi-Fi $499 for 16GB $599 for 32GB $699 for 64GB iPads with Wi-Fi and 3G $629 for 16GB $729 for 32GB $829 for 64GB 3G data costs $15 a month for 250 MB and $30 a month for unlimited data.

Of course, the problem with charts is that it makes comparisons seem so simple.  However, there is a considerable problem with comparing numbers alone, it doesn't grasp the benefits of the hardware and software that can't be described in numbers.

Screen quality
So, let's start with the screen on the Kindle, Kindle DX, and iPad.  While the Kindle is much cheaper, it only gives you 6 inches of grayscale eInk screen.  The Kindle DX does much better on screen size, giving you the same as the iPad, with 9.7 inches of eInk screen.  The biggest difference between the iPad screen and the Kindles', however, is that the Kindles' use eInk technology, which saves battery life and is claimed to be easier on the eyes.  The problem with eInk is that it cannot currently display color, which renders it useless if you want to see color images or most webpages.  For better or worse, the Kindles' have eInk screens which limit them to almost entirely reading eBooks.  The flip side is that the Kindles' do their one task extremely well, because they are so simple to operate.  The iPad uses a LCD IPS screen, which basically means that you can view color with wide viewing angles without degrading quality.  The result is that you can share your iPad with another person and watch movies, videos, or even photos of your family.  While a Kindle can be shared by another person, it's not likely that two people will want to read the same book at exactly the same reading speed.  Also, while the Kindle relies on an old fashioned keyboard that really isn't much bigger than an on-screen keyboard, it's not any easier to type on.  Of course, we'll know for sure when we get a full review of the thing, but from what we know now, it already seems like the iPad has an amazing combination of clean design, excellent touchscreen, and a LCD that has possibly the best quality in the computer industry.
Winner: iPad

Hardware

The Kindle is designed to be read like a book.  Obviously Apple tried very hard to replicate that same feeling in the iPad by creating a virtual book with the content filled in between the pages.  But even so, the feeling that this is a computer and not a book is clearly apparent, because the device certainly doesn't look like a book, with black bezels and a aluminum case.  So the Kindle wins on that characteristic, that it doesn't distract the viewer's attention away from the book with a distracting bezel.  The iPad contains a much more powerful ARM processor than the Kindle, so it can run games, productivity apps, and other applications than simply eBooks.  The iPad also uses Wi-Fi and can come with an optional 3G chip that allows you to surf the web at home and on the go.  The iPad even has GPS built in if you opt for the 3G chip as well, so you can use it as a navigation tool.  Still, the Kindle may fit some people very well given its lower price range if you are willing to go with the smaller 6 inch screen.  For everyone else looking for a bigger screen, the iPad is definitely a great competitor, especially since it only costs $10 more than the Kindle DX.
Winner: Kindle (if on a budget and only want eBooks), iPad for more mainstream users

Comparing Features and Stores
The Kindle has a great book store that sells millions of eBooks a year and is seamless to buy from.  You simply download the book and it almost magically appears on your Kindle.  It used to be the case that no other e-reader came close to this level of integration.  Now however, the iPad does something similar and Apple uses its expertise with iTunes to seamlessly deliver books to your iPad.  The Kindle has a rudimentary web browser and while it does the job well for static pages with text, the experience is clearly much better on the iPad with its color screen and Safari web browser.

A couple of other apps that the iPad has are borrowed and adapted from the iPhone as well ––– the excellent Google Maps app, the great App Store, the quintessential iPod app, Calendar, Contacts, Notes, Mail, Photos, Youtube, and of course, the iTunes Store.
Winner: iPad

Conclusion
Despite the iPad being so much more than a eBook reader, it has the same limitations and benefits of a tablet computer.  It has the capability to play demanding iPhone games with ease, browse the web easily (although not with Adobe Flash), manage your contacts and calendars, view videos and play music, and access other applications on the App Store.  All very compelling reasons, but the real question here isn't so much whether the hardware is capable at this point, but whether consumers see the point of this device.  Some uses of the iPad might be in a college or business environment, where people need to access the internet, present presentations, take notes, and the like without the need to drag around a several pound computer.  But for everything else,  it is an expensive proposition that hardly warrants a minimum $500 investment, especially given that you can get much more capable machines with a few hundred more.  Still, it is a portable device that actually has a mainstream (read: affordable) price, so only time will tell whether its combination of power, portability, and battery life will make any difference on consumers' purchasing decisions.

The Good
Buy if you need a small portable computer that is simple and easy to use.  The target market is a user who barely knows how to use a computer, but wants a less-featured computer that also allows him/her to web surf and create documents and maybe play games every once in a while.  Also very portable.
The Bad
Don't buy if you feel that this has limited usage and doesn't replicate everything what you do on a computer.  If you're a programmer or developer, stay away because this will surely disappoint you.
The Ugly
Still needs a computer in order to set it up for the first time and for backing up data.