Apple's iPad: Kindle Killer?

Now that details of the iPad, Apple’s latest gizmo, are finally out, industry watchers are wondering how the new tablet will affect Amazon’s leading e-reader device, the Kindle.

Naming the Kindle specifically, Apple’s celebrity CEO, Steve Jobs, said the iPad would be better for reading books.

"We view the device as a threat to Amazon's Kindle and other e-book systems which lack the advanced computing capabilities of the tablet," wrote Shannon Cross, of Cross Research, in a note to clients earlier this week.

The iPad, which is to be released in April and looks like an oversized iTouch, will feature a 9.7-inch touch screen that works like a large version of the company's popular iPhone.

Similarities between the latest member of the Apple family and its older mobile siblings are many: Users can play music, watch videos, and surf the Internet, as well as send e-mails and run other office applications.

But the iPad is also tapping into new areas with online features such as the iBookstore, which allows users to purchase and download books to the device--much like the functional ease of its iTunes store.

"Amazon has done a great job of pioneering this technology," said Mr. Jobs, referring to the Kindle. "We're gonna stand on their shoulders and go farther."

The iPad will start at $499 for a Wi-Fi-only device with 16GB of memory. The same device with built-in 3G hardware, connection available through AT&T, will cost $529, with users having to buy a data plan that costs $15-$30 per month. A 32GB model will cost $599 and $699 will buy a 64GB version for the non-3G models.

The Amazon Kindle, by contrast, starts at $259 for a version with a 6-inch screen and full wireless connectivity included.

Also, the iPad and Kindle work on different models. While Apple is using the open ePub format, the Kindle's format is proprietary. Essentially, with the open ePub format people with requisite coding knowledge can make an ePub version of their own book.

Five of the six major publishing houses--Penguin, Harper-Collins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Hachette Book Group--have signed on to the iBookstore, but Random House, the one notable absent, happens to be the biggest book publisher in the world. That means that major titles may be missing from Apple's e-book store—at least for now.

Another notable difference, the iBooks will allow readers to flip through pages and supports pictures, video, and other graphics while the Kindle is static.

There is more. While the iPad has a beautiful, colorful display, the Kindle offers an ugly, practical screen. The iPad is obviously more appealing, but it comes with a price: battery life. The showy iPad boasts 10 hours of battery life, according to Mr. Jobs, whose claims have yet to be seen.
on 27 January 2010, 15:09
by Lalee Sadighi

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