iPad Air vs Kindle Paperwhite: Let's Talk Reading

[Good OL MC]

I'm over paper. At one time I thought I'd miss the texture, the smell, and the sensation enough to never be able to live with an e-reader or digital books. I was wrong - I only miss paper a little bit. I miss the smell and the feel but not nearly as much as I love the convenience of digital books. It is still the content of a book that is key and with an e-reader that content is everywhere I am.

So, what's the best way to replace it? I'm putting up two categories:

Representing the high-res tablet market is the iPad Air. Light. Thin. Retina. App Store. Magical. Apple. A lot of people in the world don't say "tablet," they say "iPad." Marketing? Hell yes. Undeserved? Hell no. Reviews for the Air are in and it is everything you could love about the iPad line with a better design. iPad Mini with Retina excluded for now due to not being reviewed yet.

iPad Air reviews | iMore

And not only will that Retina screen produce some gorgeous text - it will give you the ability to manipulate content. You can zoom in for the details on that comic book or school text. Get in to the nitty gritty on that bar graph. Your world is immersive.

Immersion comes with costs though. Looking at a big, back-lit screen can be a little rough on the eyes even with brightness turned down. Oh, and don't forget to charge that battery. By the way, how's your attention span? Can you handle notifications going off as you read your book or latest edition of The Magazine Don't. Swipe. Down.

For the dedicated e-reader category the only device left standing is the Kindle - specifically the Kindle Paperwhite. High res e-ink display that you can read anywhere. Side illumination. Battery for months. A build quality that can faintly remind you of holding a physical book. It is no longer an e-reader market: it is a Kindle market.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite review (2013) | The Verge

The Paperwhite is for a single purpose: reading. This is not a jack-of-all trades device. If you pull it out you want to sit down and enjoy a good story with no distraction or interruption. You want to take it to the park and not be bothered, lay in bed and forget about the government, politics, fanboy battles, and your job. Nothing can touch you if you focus on what you're reading on a screen that holds 1,000 books but is as clear as a printed page.

But, oh? You don't have room for another device in the bag. You need to streamline things. Reading is secondary and you'd really like to have some Twitter popping up so you can switch from one task to another. Maybe you actually like your job and want to see some email in your downtime. Sorry - Kindle won't get that job done. Multitaskers be warned: this is not your singular device.

So what do you do, iMore? You're all intelligent, thoughtful people (and beautiful, too). What do you pick up when you want to read? And why?

The poll only lists the two best-in-class, but if you prefer another product just say so - and why!

 

[Just_Me_D]

This is easy for me. The Kindle Paperwhite wins hands down. Granted, I don't own a iPad Air, but I've owned the iPad 2 and currently own an iPad Mini, and I read a great deal on it as I did the iPad 2, however, for extended reading, especially ebooks, > I < prefer to use the Kindle Paperwhite because it provides > me < with a better reading experience.

 

[HAWK]

I hate to throw anyone away from purchasing an apple product but I think as far as "reading" is concerned I would go with the kindle. simple reason is I find the brightness on the kindle more set up for reading for longer periods ( doesn't hurt the eyes or strain the eyes as much ). Both will get the job done but if its just reading your after go with the kindle. I pad however has a lot of other options that you can do with them if your not reading

 

[Just_Me_D]

I hate to throw anyone away from purchasing an apple product but I think as far as "reading" is concerned I would go with the kindle. simple reason is I find the brightness on the kindle more set up for reading for longer periods ( doesn't hurt the eyes or strain the eyes as much ). Both will get the job done but if its just reading your after go with the kindle. I pad however has a lot of other options that you can do with them if your not reading

Well stated, my friend........and I'm in total agreement with you.

 

[Algus]

I'm definitely a fan of e-ink. I just have a cheap older Kindle though. I don't see the point in putting a lot of money in it and I'm a fairly heavy reader.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 3 using Tapatalk 4

 

[iEd]

Paperwhite for sure.

The Kindle app on iPad looks fantastic and I love it and it's great to read on but the Paperwhite as a dedicated reader is great. It's light as a paperback book and for extended reading its great on the hands.
The lighting is just right on it also. The iPad can sometimes be a little to much on the eyes for extended reading.
The Software in the Paperwhite is clunky for any web browsing but I don't look at it as a true Internet Device.
The new one from what I hear has some great improvements in the screen and lighting.
If you read a great deal the Paperwhite is the way to go. For occasional reading the iPad is good.


#Naked Tuesday

 

[Good OL MC]

In my case I don't want the extra device so I just read on the iPad. I've had them since the original iPad and so far it hasn't hurt or bothered my eyes.

Understood. I'm wondering though how much time you spend reading. My eyes start to go a little wonky after a while on LCD.

And I'm pretty surprised so far: Paperwhite is a pretty clear favorite.

 

[HAWK]

call me old fashioned but I just like paper books.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Understood. I'm wondering though how much time you spend reading. My eyes start to go a little wonky after a while on LCD.

And I'm pretty surprised so far: Paperwhite is a pretty clear favorite.

I rarely use the backlighting on the Kindle Paperwhite, but during the times I do, I don't get the same effect that I do while reading on my iPad. The Kindle, even the Nook that I had, does not tire my eye. It it truly like looking at a book page, in my opinion.

 

[Algus]

call me old fashioned but I just like paper books.

I feel the same way but I just don't have the space for them (not with all my video games, DVDs, comics, and role-playing game stuff lol). It took me a long time to finally get a kindle because of that but when I did, I was happy that the kindle fairly easily handles all of the stuff I would like to do with a real book (notations, highlighting, etc. I TRASH my books, habit from college). The only real issue with it is that you get locked into Amazon's eco-system. Nice thing about a tab is that you can pull books from other sources as well.

I used to read a lot of digital books on my Pocket PC way back before Kindle though and I lived with that. HP Jordana, man that thing had a sucky screen. Read almost all of Sherlock Holmes that way though. Project Gutenberg was/is fantastic.

 

[Good OL MC]

I've read 1000 pages novels on the iPad with no issues.

My eyes would have melted .

Do you stick with general books or do they tend to have any multimedia involved?

 

[iEd]

When I restored my iPad for iOS 7 and reinstalled the Kindle app. I read a few pages of a book and realized I was totally spoiled from the Paperwhite with reading. It looks more like a page from a book I guess because of e-ink. Reading outdoors is a plus for the paper white also. The iPad does so many more wonderful things including being a e-reader. The Kindle does one thing well. It's really a cool device. Glad I have it.


#Naked Tuesday

 

[projectman]

I love my gadgets but I would have a tough time sinking more money into electronics just for the reading aspect. I have multi-tasked my devices since my Palm days and that is the way I will continue to roll... I do not read on the iPad; just too big. I read on my iP5 regularly with no eye problems. If I had an iPad Mini I would consider that a reading option as well. The Kindle app, which I read from more than any other app, gives me the option to customize the background color, font color, etc and that helps with eye comfort as well. So...unless someone gifts me with a Kindle Paperwhite I am unlikely to even try it. But the reviews, both in the world and in this thread, have convinced me it is a good option should it ever present itself.

 

[claudeburdel]

I bought the first Kindle when it first came out, and I've had several since then. I love reading on the Kindle. I tried reading on my iPad and on smartphones but I never enjoyed it as much as the e-ink screens.

However... six months ago I had hernia surgery, and since then I have limits on how much I can carry. For my job I have to carry about 30 pounds of stuff in a rolling cart. A Paperweight Kindle along with its leather case actually does add a significant amount of weight when I'm trying to lighten my load as much as possible. So lately I've been doing a lot of my reading on my 5c.

To my surprise, it's turning out better than I expected. I'm sure the Retina screen (my first) makes a difference. Also, the Kindle app on iOS 7 works great (on my previous phone, a Windows Phone, the Kindle app sucked).

I'm using the black-text-on-sepia option, and it's working out well. If I were retired and doing all my reading at home, I'd use a Kindle, but for now, the convenience and weight factors, along with the good experience I'm having with this phone, make me favor my 5c for reading.

 

[Good OL MC]

To my surprise, it's turning out better than I expected. I'm sure the Retina screen (my first) makes a difference. Also, the Kindle app on iOS 7 works great (on my previous phone, a Windows Phone, the Kindle app sucked).

It really does. When I went from the Nexus S to the 4S and did reading on the go it was like night and day between the two.

Your point is well taken though, especially in your case where every ounce can be pretty important. Having a more all purpose device is a definite benefit for you.

Hope you're feeling better .

 

[claudeburdel]

Hope you're feeling better .

Thanks, I am!

 

[cardfan]

I've read thousands of books on iPhone. iPad was too big. Never got into kindle too much but only owned the first two.

 

[BTSee]

...Reading outdoors is a plus for the paper white also....
#Naked Tuesday

This is a good point. I've taken my iPad on vacation and reading outside is very difficult due to glare on the screen...and if you wear polarized sunglasses, seeing the screen is impossible. If you are a dedicated reader and the outdoors is part of your equation, get the Kindle.

 

[BlackBerry Guy]

I find e-ink easier on the eyes. But I'm at the point where I don't want devices lying around everywhere...already have too many tablets and phones lol. The compromise I found that worked best for me was using white on black mode when reading.

 

[Just_Me_D]

When I restored my iPad for iOS 7 and reinstalled the Kindle app. I read a few pages of a book and realized I was totally spoiled from the Paperwhite with reading. It looks more like a page from a book I guess because of e-ink. Reading outdoors is a plus for the paper white also. The iPad does so many more wonderful things including being a e-reader. The Kindle does one thing well. It's really a cool device. Glad I have it.


#Naked Tuesday

'nuf said...