Friday, July 30, 2010

Amazon Kindle vs. Apple iPad: Strengths and weaknesses

On July 29, 2010, Amazon.com, the largest online retailer, launched its latest Amazon Kindle, which is smaller, lighter, fasters and has a longer battery life. Last but not the least, the new Amazon Kindle is also very light on the wallet; $139 only. And not to mention the $10 books that can be carried every where takes reading to different level.

With the launch of this new e-book reader, Amazon started a new buzz in the industry, how would it do against Apple’s iPad?

Initially, when the news of Apple’s tablet PC came out no body took it seriously. They just thought that it would be another high-tech toy with little or no use for the mass but some tech savvy people. Then the big day, January 27, 2010, came when Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, unveiled the Apple iPad and then nothing remained the same again. The iPad came, the iPad saw and the iPad conquered. It even changed the

e-book industry and posed a big challenge to Amazon’s Kindle.

Now, let’s see how iPad and Amazon Kindle matches up-

In terms of design, look and feel, both the iPad and the new Amazon Kindle are great. Both of them are great looking devices.

The new Amazon Kindle, is a dedicated e-book reading device. Wall Street quotes Bezos, "There are going to be 100 companies making LCD [screen] tablets,……Why would we want to be 101? I like building a purpose-built reading device. I think that is where we can make a real contribution."

Bezos is right in every way and this is what makes the new Kindle special. If you are a serious reader and do not want any distraction or playing with too many options, just go and grab the Kindle. For serious book readers, the new Amazon Kindle is a great joy.

On the contrary, this is also the biggest shortcoming of the device. It is not multi-fuctional. Suppose, you just finished reading “Romeo and Juliet” and want to watch Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes version, with Amazon Kindle there is no hope for you but there is always hope with Apple iPad. Just go to the net and fire up the Netflix and enjoy the Romeo+ Juliet. More over, now days, books are coming with animations and various other features which you would not be able to enjoy on Amazon Kindle.

So, if you are someone who frequently travels and do not want to be burdened with so many titsy bitsy devices then Apple iPad is the device for you. It can do everything plus serve as an e-book reader.

If you are tired of looking at backlit screens and just want to have the feeling of reading a book, then you can get Kindle. With the high contrast E-Ink screen, you can read books under sunlight with no problem.

However, the Apple iPad also has a weak point and that is its price. The entry-level Apple iPad starts from $500 and goes all the way up to $800 which is not ideal for everyone. Plus, you would not like to get bound by AT&T’s contract. Amazon is free from all these problems and would not have to pay for the 3G connection.

So, which device you think is ideal for you?

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