iPad or a Kindle?

The first generation Kindle was a gift from my husband long before the iPad ever made an appearance. It was one of the best presents I have ever received. BellaBeta was beside herself in ecstasy the day it arrived.

Before my husband purchased the Kindle, we explored e-book formats and where I purchased the bulk of my books. Amazon.com was already my main source for my reading material. The only other places I shopped were FictionWise.com and eHarlequin.com. FictionWise makes books available in a format compatible with the Kindle, so this reinforced my decision to go with a Kindle. eHarlequin was a bit more troublesome. Since a lot of their books are on Amazon, and I didn’t want to limit my purchasing options to just one main publisher, the Kindle was the best choice for me. Besides, with the Kindle, purchasing e-books and downloading them to the device is easier than making popcorn in a microwave. 

I am one of those voracious readers who must have a large selection of books on hand. Think about how heavy it is to carry all of them around. The Kindle can contain hundreds of books and not weigh any more than it when it only contained one book. The Kindle instantly became a mandatory, daily accessory that has a reserved space in my and goes with me everywhere.

Then along came the iPad, which caught the interest of my inner gadget girl, BellaBeta. At first she ignored it. As the product’s debut date approached, the increased advertising captured her attention. A week after the product release, BellaBeta’s love affair with the Kindle started to fade. So upon completion of my Masters degree this year, I treated BellaBeta to her new desire.

Although BellaBeta’s obsession with the new gadget drove me to look at the iPad, it is important to note that her desire had nothing to do with the final purchase decision. With great joy, I can tell you that I love the device, BellaBerta’s enthralled and the Kindle is in a special space in the closet. There hasn’t been enough time to explore all the iPad options/uses, but it already serves multiple purposes. For me, there is no going back. My Kindle is my backup reader that will remain with me for a long time to come. It still has its uses since it is smaller than the iPad and can be used outside without any trouble.

With this experience under my belt, I have some advice for friends who are stuck deciding between the iPad and Kindle. Keep in mind that I love both devices and am not trying to push you in one direction or the other. My intention is to walk you through the questions that need to be answered in order to find the device that suits your needs.

I am going to assume that if you are reading this article, you have ruled out other e-reading devices and you must choose between the Kindle or the iPad. If you haven’t, no worries. You can still use the advice in this article to assess other options.

There are several things to consider:

Budget:  Figure out how much you are willing to spend on an e-reading device. Expect to spend approximately $300 – $900, depending on the options desired. The differences in pricing are primarily linked to memory for storage and connectivity options.

Needs/Wants:  What do you want the device to do? Do you want it exclusively for reading? If so, go with the Kindle. If you want to check email, play games, watch a movie, listen to music or access various applications (like the apps on your iPhone), etc., then go with the iPad.

If you go with the iPad, there are three types to considered. They are tied to memory and connectivity.

Connectivity:  The Kindle does not offer much, if anything, in the variety of connectivity options. The difference between their older models is that they do not offer international connectivity options. If that isn’t important to you, pick up an early version of the product on e-bay.

The iPad offers two options:  wireless and/or 3G access. The wireless connectivity allows you to get on any unsecured/public wireless network. They can be found at coffee shops, restaurants, book stores and even some cities are offering free public Internet wireless access. Some of these wireless networks are free or require a small purchase.

Seriously consider whether or not you really need 3G. Notice I use the word ‘need’.

3G access is like your cell phone connection. This seriously increases the price. Then, if you need to use 3G, you have to pay for the service. Access can be purchased for a month at a time or for longer. In my opinion, if you have access to a wireless network, I wouldn’t bother with the extra expense unless you are a frequent traveler. Then again, even if you travel all the time, do you really need access? Before I leave on a trip, I load up my device with books, games, movies, music, etc., using my wireless network at home. This holds me over until I have access to another wireless network. However, if you need to check email or access the Internet all the time and are not sure the areas you will be in have wireless availability, consider 3G.

The iPad offers six different versions of the iPad. By selecting 3G with Wireless or just plain wireless, you have narrowed your selection down to three. The difference now is file storage capacity (memory).

Memory (Storage Capacity):  Go with as much as you can afford. The more memory you have, the more storage space is available. Movies take up a lot of storage space, and so does a large library of books. Remember too, that applications on the iPad take up some space and also use memory to run. Plus If you are going with the Kindle, you don’t have to worry about running applications or saving huge movie files.

A personal note about storage:
I filled up my Kindle in the first year (okay, a little earlier than that) and maxed out the memory. If you are a voracious reading like I am, be prepared for this to happen on any device you choose. You will eventually run out of space. What this means is that you now have to decide which books you want to carry around with you all the time. All of your books can be stored on your computer, and they are always available on Amazon’s site to download as needed.  If you are the type to want all your books stored on a personal device because you don’t want to rely on Amazon, download purchases to an extended hard drive for backup purposes.

Physical Size:  Of course the size is a consideration, but it shouldn’t be a huge part of the purchasing decision.

I have the first generation Kindle that is the small 8 inch option. Once you get a cover on the device, it’s like a trade paperback. Fits great in a purse. Love it!!! 

The size of the IPad is much like the Kindle DX version. The IPad is a tiny bit heavier, but the size is just as good. Your purse also has to be just a bit bigger, but that is a situation easily remedied. Go to T.J. Max and check out their selection of bags. If you have decided on the Kindle and plan to use it for a long time to come, give serious consideration to the DX model simply because it holds more books (has more memory). 

Font Size:  I don’t know how your eye sight is but consider this issue when you make your decision. All of these devices, allow you to adjust the font size. However, it might be more comfortable for those with poor eye sight who want the Kindle to get the DX model because you have more screen real estate.

The bottom line is, no matter which version you buy, you can’t go wrong with any of the iPad or Kindle models. You will fall in love with your device, become obsessed and never want to go back to regular books again for anything except maybe reference material. Another benefit of an e-reader is that you no longer need to keep adding bookshelves to your home because all your new books are one the device.

So BellaBeta is happy, my home is not being cluttered and an entire library of books fit in a purse without adding much in the way of weight.

Happy reading!