I own both. They really don't compete, in my opinion. Reading on the iPad annoys me: the LCD is too bright, the fonts are jagged and low-res, the device is way too big and heavy. The Kindle, on the other hand, is absolutely perfect for reading, annotating etc. The e-ink screen really is amazing. The iPad wins when it comes to reading magazines and newspapers, browsing the web... Basically everything except serious book-reading.
Oh, and also: The Kindle in its official case fits into every coat pocket. I take it with me wherever I go. The iPad is just too big; I might as well bring along the physical books.
I don't agree with the size issue but chalk that up to a rational personal preference. I don't agree with the backlighting level complaints either (that one is just a user controlled setting), I often read at night in a dark bedroom with it almost all the way down and the light is comfortable and the room is a lat darker for my wife.
As for font blurriness, that can be an issue and isn't a backlight problem. I mostly read PDFs via iBooks and zoom in a bit, with the iPad on the side the fonts and amount of text displayed are good for me. I agree smaller test gets into anti-aliasing blurriness. I think a display update can cure that and the displays will be available, but whether the retina displays at iPad dimensions are power problems or not will be interesting to see
I have both and use both for different purposes. I would never settle into bed to read a book with the iPad. It simply strains my eyes after awhile. It is more comfortable reading on the Kindle for long periods.
I do this nearly every night. It helps to leave a light on, which may bother your bed-mate, but then you can't even read a Kindle in the dark.
Could it be that there's no real option for laptop use? No use yelling, because no improvement is available from any vendor. Eye strain complaints from computers is someting I hear a lot of people complaining about. Eye strain with backlit sources is real, though the level of discomfort varies by individual. If I can use Kindle to reduce my eye-strain, I use it. I've got both and I don't even feel very comfortable reading comics with the marvel app, but do feel comfortable reading a book on the kindle.
Maybe you where around back in the day of the CRTs but those flickered really bad. Such flickering was a big component in eye strain and other illness. I know I personally suffered on CRTs and thus made a rapid switch to LCDs. LCDs aren't perfect of course but even there the newest technology is a vast improvement over the old screens.
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Personally a colour e-ink with the speed and color fidelity of current LCDs would be the ideal choice. When a laptop or tablet like that becomes available, it's countdown for LCDs in computer use.
It is hard to say one way or the other. There are many competeing technologies that could replace LCDs. But it will be tough to compete against 300 dpi IPS screens.
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The opposite of your position would be "When apple comes out with E-ink based tablets with good colour reproduction and response, suddenly eye-strain will become an issue that Apple magically solved and that LCDs are absolutely horrible". Or something different?
Regs, Jarkko
You are assuming the strain comes from the light source. I don't believe this is the case, rather much of the strain appears to come from the switching action in the pixels. Run an eInk screen fast enough for motion and comfort will go out the window
That is a guess of course but it contrasts with many people view that the backlight I'd the problem. I really don't believe this is the case. There are many factors to consider not the least of which is the fact that some printed materials (paper) strain the eyes more than others.
Eink wins big in portable devices for many reasons not just for readability. We shouldn't dismiss power savings for example. Unfortunately eInk in an iPad like device is a ways off mostly due to the slow updates and the lack of good color reproduction.
Eink wins big in portable devices for many reasons not just for readability. We shouldn't dismiss power savings for example. Unfortunately eInk in an iPad like device is a ways off mostly due to the slow updates and the lack of good color reproduction.
See Hiro's posts-- I don't "lack of good color reproduction" is a technical hurdle that's going to be solved. The nature of the processes involved all but rule it out.
Whatever next-gen screen tech an iPad of the future might feature, I doubt it will be much related to e-ink, and it will still likely have a backlight.
This is a deal-breaker for me. Unless you're single, reading in bed with an external light is going to annoy the hell out of your spouse/partner/dorm-mate/whatever. I'm really (really) not a fan of glossy screens, but a Kindle is useless for reading in bed at night. Laptop works fine, iPad would work fine. For me.
Just to satisfy my curiosity...sans light, how did you read a book in bed prior to the iPad or Kindle? I'm not aware of any photo-luminescent books on the market...
Just to satisfy my curiosity...sans light, how did you read a book in bed prior to the iPad or Kindle? I'm not aware of any photo-luminescent books on the market...
Some people just have that natural glow. I mean, if you have to ask!
Comments
I own both. They really don't compete, in my opinion. Reading on the iPad annoys me: the LCD is too bright, the fonts are jagged and low-res, the device is way too big and heavy. The Kindle, on the other hand, is absolutely perfect for reading, annotating etc. The e-ink screen really is amazing. The iPad wins when it comes to reading magazines and newspapers, browsing the web... Basically everything except serious book-reading.
Oh, and also: The Kindle in its official case fits into every coat pocket. I take it with me wherever I go. The iPad is just too big; I might as well bring along the physical books.
I don't agree with the size issue but chalk that up to a rational personal preference. I don't agree with the backlighting level complaints either (that one is just a user controlled setting), I often read at night in a dark bedroom with it almost all the way down and the light is comfortable and the room is a lat darker for my wife.
As for font blurriness, that can be an issue and isn't a backlight problem. I mostly read PDFs via iBooks and zoom in a bit, with the iPad on the side the fonts and amount of text displayed are good for me. I agree smaller test gets into anti-aliasing blurriness. I think a display update can cure that and the displays will be available, but whether the retina displays at iPad dimensions are power problems or not will be interesting to see
I have both and use both for different purposes. I would never settle into bed to read a book with the iPad. It simply strains my eyes after awhile. It is more comfortable reading on the Kindle for long periods.
I do this nearly every night. It helps to leave a light on, which may bother your bed-mate, but then you can't even read a Kindle in the dark.
Could it be that there's no real option for laptop use? No use yelling, because no improvement is available from any vendor. Eye strain complaints from computers is someting I hear a lot of people complaining about. Eye strain with backlit sources is real, though the level of discomfort varies by individual. If I can use Kindle to reduce my eye-strain, I use it. I've got both and I don't even feel very comfortable reading comics with the marvel app, but do feel comfortable reading a book on the kindle.
Maybe you where around back in the day of the CRTs but those flickered really bad. Such flickering was a big component in eye strain and other illness. I know I personally suffered on CRTs and thus made a rapid switch to LCDs. LCDs aren't perfect of course but even there the newest technology is a vast improvement over the old screens.
Personally a colour e-ink with the speed and color fidelity of current LCDs would be the ideal choice. When a laptop or tablet like that becomes available, it's countdown for LCDs in computer use.
It is hard to say one way or the other. There are many competeing technologies that could replace LCDs. But it will be tough to compete against 300 dpi IPS screens.
The opposite of your position would be "When apple comes out with E-ink based tablets with good colour reproduction and response, suddenly eye-strain will become an issue that Apple magically solved and that LCDs are absolutely horrible". Or something different?
Regs, Jarkko
You are assuming the strain comes from the light source. I don't believe this is the case, rather much of the strain appears to come from the switching action in the pixels. Run an eInk screen fast enough for motion and comfort will go out the window
That is a guess of course but it contrasts with many people view that the backlight I'd the problem. I really don't believe this is the case. There are many factors to consider not the least of which is the fact that some printed materials (paper) strain the eyes more than others.
Eink wins big in portable devices for many reasons not just for readability. We shouldn't dismiss power savings for example. Unfortunately eInk in an iPad like device is a ways off mostly due to the slow updates and the lack of good color reproduction.
Eink wins big in portable devices for many reasons not just for readability. We shouldn't dismiss power savings for example. Unfortunately eInk in an iPad like device is a ways off mostly due to the slow updates and the lack of good color reproduction.
See Hiro's posts-- I don't "lack of good color reproduction" is a technical hurdle that's going to be solved. The nature of the processes involved all but rule it out.
Whatever next-gen screen tech an iPad of the future might feature, I doubt it will be much related to e-ink, and it will still likely have a backlight.
This is a deal-breaker for me. Unless you're single, reading in bed with an external light is going to annoy the hell out of your spouse/partner/dorm-mate/whatever. I'm really (really) not a fan of glossy screens, but a Kindle is useless for reading in bed at night. Laptop works fine, iPad would work fine. For me.
Just to satisfy my curiosity...sans light, how did you read a book in bed prior to the iPad or Kindle? I'm not aware of any photo-luminescent books on the market...
Just to satisfy my curiosity...sans light, how did you read a book in bed prior to the iPad or Kindle? I'm not aware of any photo-luminescent books on the market...
Some people just have that natural glow. I mean, if you have to ask!