iPad Can the iPad replace ebook readers?

[scottjl]

Originally Posted by akira28

Exactly. For me the iPad would be the worst reader because its text is unreadable.

really? i can read your text just fine on my ipad.

[richman]

Yeah, and we are concerned here with the Ereader aspect of the IPAD , which is valid for this site, but all the other things this IPAD can do which my 505 can't do , like watch movies, surf the web, read comics, send email, and play games on , makes it a very cool device in addition to being a ereader.
It could be valid point that there are no really good epub apps out YET, but it's only one week , and you and me know , THERE WILL BE, There will be.
And I did surf the web with the IPAD and it's cool, and in 6 months I'm sure lots of sites will find ways to allow IPAD users to see their pages, since now Itouch, Iphone, IPAD users are growning in number and news of software that is web based that supports both formats are out.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by scottjl

... ever use an eink display in the blazing sun on a hot day? the display starts to lag and discolor big time.
.

Yep and Nope.

[scottjl]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Yep and Nope.

well. sitting at a pool in las vegas with my 600 on a hot day my display did start to lag and it did discolor (the contrast suffered horribly). my friend with a kindle had similar issues.

[stustaff]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Yep and Nope.

both my 505 and pocket have massive contrast issues in direct sunlight! it is a known eink issue.

if I put my hand over the page and refresh then I can see where my fingers where! the shaded areas have great contrast those areas in direct sun are almost unreadable. Its ony while refreshing.

While sunbathing I had to turn the reader so the screen was in shade every time I went to teh next page. once refreshed teh contrast didnt alter in the sun at all.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by stustaff

both my 505 and pocket have massive contrast issues in direct sunlight! it is a known eink issue.

if I put my hand over the page and refresh then I can see where my fingers where! the shaded areas have great contrast those areas in direct sun are almost unreadable. Its ony while refreshing.

While sunbathing I had to turn the reader so the screen was in shade every time I went to teh next page. once refreshed teh contrast didnt alter in the sun at all.

Originally Posted by scottjl

well. sitting at a pool in las vegas with my 600 on a hot day my display did start to lag and it did discolor (the contrast suffered horribly). my friend with a kindle had similar issues.

You both have a known issue with certain defective e-ink displays. You should have had Sony replace them for free. (your friend too). Yes, it's a known issue so why didn't you test it and get it replaced.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by stustaff

..
While sunbathing I had to turn the reader so the screen was in shade every time I went to teh next page. once refreshed teh contrast didnt alter in the sun at all.

How does that iPad work in the same situation. Is it even readable?

[richman]

It is interesting how Amazon marketing was saying how the Kindle can be used at the Beach and the IPAD can not and that was the reason Kindle was better. Duh!
And you buy that line too, ok, to be fair , yes the Kindle wins on that front, but if you list the things that the IPAD can do that the Kindle can't do , the list is enormous. Thousands of APPS, movies,mp3's, wi-fi, photo's, police scanner apps, all types of stuff and it can READ IN THE DARK, can your KINDLE do that.
If you want to compare the places that the IPAD would win in reading places, I think it's valid to ask , can your Kindle/505 work in the dark, or in bed, all by itself.
You know you are on low tech level when amazon has to FOCUS on reading in direct sunlight and keep quiet on all the things the IPAD can do that it's kindle can't do. Also the Kindle DX is around the same PRICE as the IPAD. What would you rather have a IPAD or Kindle DX?

The FACT is the Kindle has to have the Sun or some external light to read on it , whereas the IPAD is the opposite. Same as phone/gps/computers/camera's/camcorders/mp3 players and 99 percent of other lcd type screens. E-ink needs outside light to be used, 99 percent of the tech devices are backlight. But the thing that makes the IPAD stand out is 10 hour battery life (compared to 2 hours for notebook/netbook.)

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by richman

It is interesting how Amazon marketing was saying how the Kindle can be used at the Beach and the IPAD can not and that was the reason Kindle was better. Duh!
And you buy that line too, ok, to be fair , yes the Kindle wins on that front, but if you list the things that the IPAD can do that the Kindle can't do , the list is enormous. Thousands of APPS, movies,mp3's, wi-fi, photo's, police scanner apps, all types of stuff and it can READ IN THE DARK, can your KINDLE do that.
If you want to compare the places that the IPAD would win in reading places, I think it's valid to ask , can your Kindle/505 work in the dark, or in bed, all by itself.
You know you are on low tech level when amazon has to FOCUS on reading in direct sunlight and keep quiet on all the things the IPAD can do that it's kindle can't do. Also the Kindle DX is around the same PRICE as the IPAD. What would you rather have a IPAD or Kindle DX?

Uh....the Kindle is a book reader...the iPad is not. It's not really a netbook or computer either, it's some kind of crippled computer-like device.

[richman]

Gee, from your standpoint the IPAD is not a book reader , and you are right. For you, the IPAD is not a ebook reader.
But for lots of folks, the IPAD is a ebook reader that is easier to read than on a laptop/netbook and has color pages/images.
I think what you mean is that the KINDLE is JUST a EREADER and the IPAD does everything ,including ereader. Amazon is gonna have to be VERY NICE to IPAD because if you look on top 100 electronic's they sell after KINDLE are lots of itouchs/nano devices. And amazon will be SELLING ipads too, I would imagine and sell lots of them.

[yvanleterrible]

Kenny, you're a friend to me so I'll go easy. I chose to comment on your objections because they reflect the opinions of a good number of iPad opposers.

Originally Posted by kennyc

No. The best reader for web pages is a computer (netbook if you want portability) as is true of pdfs as well.

It used to be true but you have clearly not experimented with the iPad's new type of user interface. You have to consider it to get a good perspective on iPad's functionality. The instant pinch in/pinch out zoom does wonders here. It feels like using the mouse wheel in CAD programs to zoom in/out. With my computers PC/Linux/Mac, I've never tried something so fast and responsive other than in Autocad and Turbocad.

Originally Posted by kennyc

The iPad is virtually unusable outdoors, particularly in bright sunlight.

How many times do you bring your computer outdoors? I've got two laptops and I've tried once. Not a likeable experience. If you're thinking of an eink reader then it's a different ball game sport. Eink is wayyyy superior. But reading in bright sunlight is not good for anyone's eyes on anything and especially paper. Do so many people read seriously outdoors all the time? I tend to lose concentration from all that's happening around me.

Originally Posted by kennyc

The iPad has overheading problems.

I totally agree with this one. Overheating is worrying. But then again it's only in direct sunlight. I wouldn't use any device there anyway. And there are no other circumstances so far of overheating other than direct sunlight.

Originally Posted by kennyc

The best way to read comic books is paper.

And so it is that paper is the best way to read anything in my opinion. We're here in Mobile Read to find alternatives to paper. Comic books had no proper device to read away from one's collection othe than a computer/laptop. The iPad is one of the second portable alternatives (after clunky laptops)to remedy this and I'm pretty sure that other ones will come along that will outshine the iPad. Color eink comes to mind. To do proper justice to comic books and PDFs a device has to have a certain screen size and the iPad has the smallest adequate

Originally Posted by kennyc

Color docs is a toss up, maybe paper, maybe computers, maybe an iPad if you can get it to connect to the internet.

Netbooks are a great alternative for color docs but so is iPad. And if you're referring to the wifi woes surfacing, they have been fixed. Improper wifi router setups. There's another thread where I've posted the fix.

Originally Posted by kennyc

My computer connects to dozens of book stores and all books can be transferred to my Sony and Kindle.

Absolutely.... so far! But there are 3 more alternatives promised other than iBooks available with really, really cheap apps, cheaper than a book actually! Kindle, B&N, Kobo. Again, only in the first week! Others will be here. Try that with a Sony Reader or a Kindle!

I also have objections about iPad but I'll have to live with them.

• iAd concept stinks, the iPad is already a market controlled device, why add injury?.
• Access in and out from iPad is restricted, controlled and frustratingly limited to a host. You can't live with an iPad without its host computer, and you can't even reach it through wifi!!!
• Memory size is downright ridiculous and expensive.
• The introduction of the iPad was rushed and a miriad of details were botched.
• Precise dates of availability were not set and so were prices and service providers for out of States buyers. I still don't know who will provide in Canada and how much the iPad itself will cost. I want the 3G.

Kenny I feel that you refuse to even feel objective about the iPad and other Apple products. And I find that you're definitely not alone in this. That's your right. If it's political? That's your thing. I'm not from your country and I don't even care about American politics. They don't concern me. My reality is elsewhere. So in that perspective I resent the politically derisive "Apple fanboy" apellation.
Just as I do with your artwork, I'm able to see genious objectively and this new device deserves more than just a look from someone else's perspective. Go try it. It won't bite... I use all types of devices from all companies and I will definitely use this one.


To finish, this thread's title is misleading and brings conflicting answers. The author should have gone to his first post and clarified his question and give the direction from what perspective to answer. In this case the question was from a personal choice standpoint because face it, it is IMPOSSIBLE that a device could kill and replace all others. It's even ridiculous and narrow minded to even imply such an eventuality...

[scottjl]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Uh....the Kindle is a book reader...the iPad is not. It's not really a netbook or computer either, it's some kind of crippled computer-like device.

let's see.. i can listen to music, watch movies loaded onto the ipad, play games, surf the web, receive and send email, talk to people with VoIP applications (skype works just fine), instant message (aim, beejive, text+), do word processing, access spreadsheets, put together presentations, view photos, catch weather reports, read news, get flight information, check my stocks, watch streaming video from ABC and Netflix, draw, paint and doodle, take notes, take voice memos, check maps, read RSS feeds, look up recipes, tweet, identify celestial bodies, access webex, view youtube, access computers via VNC and RDP, oh yeah, and read books, magazines and newspapers and beautiful color comics. all with applications i have installed, right now.

really sounds crippled to me.

plus, it's backlit so i can view it in the dark just fine, and it gets 10 or so hours of battery life.

very crippled

Originally Posted by scottjl

really? i can read your text just fine on my ipad.

Yes. I can read pretty fast and I don't have the desire to slow down simply to decipher each blurred letter.

[richman]

scottjl!
LOL! It sure doesn't sound crippled to me.

It's first generation and only out 1 week today, I can just imagine all the cool reading apps and other apps coming out for this IPAD that this will be very good for all of us, it will push ereader competition to a new level and make things like kindle and sony prices much cheaper.
Sounds like you are having a lot of fun with you IPAD , I'm so tempted to buy one but I want to see how they rate the 3g model and what people can do with the built in gps that comes with that model.

[scottjl]

Originally Posted by akira28

Yes. I can read pretty fast and I don't have the desire to slow down simply to decipher each blurred letter.

well. i have good vision and my letters aren't blurry. so i think i can read pretty darn quick too. sorry to hear about your poor eyesight. maybe try a larger font? or audiobooks.