Comparing the iPad and the Kindle

When Steve Jobs revealed the iPad during his recent keynote speech, a lot of people bombarded Apple with criticisms about how Jobs made a huge miss with this new product. Critics said that there was no compelling reason for consumers to shell out $500 for a third device if ever they already have a smart phone and a laptop. Apple fan boys dubbed the iPad the Kindle-killer because of the iBooks application. Let’s take a closer look into this claim by really comparing both products side-by-side, feature-by-feature.

Apple iPad Advantages
The iPad blows the Kindle out of the park in terms of user experience, versatility, and brand.

Experience: the multi-touch and user interface is just like what Steve Jobs said in his speech: magical. Being able to flip the pages as if you were really reading a book is definitely a big plus. The presentation of the iBooks is also much better than the Kindle store.

Versatility: The Kindle is really limited to reading e-books. The core feature of the Kindle is the e-ink which is also actually one of their advantages. With the iPad you can do so much more than just read ebooks. It’s a great media player, browser, and there are hundreds of thousands of apps that you can download and enjoy.

Brand: The Kindle comes across as geeky. The Apple brand is so powerful that it can make the most simplest of products appear phenomenal, haha. That’s probably one of the main drivers that will push the sales of the iPad – the Apple cult. The feeling of holding an Apple iPad is definitely different compared to the feeling of holding a Kindle. Then again this is more for brand conscious and superficial people like me (lol).

Amazon Kindle Advantages
Despite the glaring differences, the Kindle actually still has a lot of compelling features that will make users go for it instead of the iPad. Namely: price, functionality, and first-to-market.

Price: This is the main reason why people will still opt to buy a Kindle compared to the iPad. The Kindle is half the price of the iPad. If you’re only after reading ebooks, then the best option is still the Kindle because it’s definitely much more affordable.

Functionality: The e-ink is much more easier to the eyes compared to the screen of an iPad. The Kindle also has a week long battery life so that will make charging scarce. If you use the iPad’s other media functions I’m pretty sure you’ll have to charge it daily.

First-to-market: When it comes to ebooks people know the Kindle and Amazon. It will take some time for Apple to take down Kindle’s hold on the ebook market.

Summary
At the end of the day, we don’t think the iPad will kill the Kindle. Both have distinct different markets. The Kindle is an ebook reader, nothing more, nothing less. The iPad is more of a media player and a mobile browser/media player. The main threat the iPad brings is that it can reach out to a broader market than the Kindle. That being said, people who buy iPads won’t think of buying Kindles anymore. It limits the potential growth of the Kindle but it won’t kill it.

Unless Steve Jobs cuts the price of the iPad in half. But then again I’m sure that Amazon can do the same as well since Senator Dick Gordon said on public record that the Philippine government can buy Kindles in bulk for just $100 USD per piece.

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