iPad vs Sony Reader - Page 5

Bremen Cole · 04-11-2010, 06:54 PM

Let me explain my concern for all the non-owner haters hanging out in this forum. The iPad has been out 1 week, and there are already around a half a million owners in the US. That number is not going to go down. That number is going to double, triple, and beyond over the next year. Lot's of potential Mobileread forum members will be stopping by for a look around...... Let's suppose it's you. You just got your new toy, you're excited and perhaps have a question or two. You are a newbe, and you drop into MR to check it out. You go to the forum for users of your new toy. You see your new toy called nothing special, over priced, locked down, pointless, a waste of money......etc. You see that since you purchased this device you are someone who laps up what the company puts out, a sheep, someone with no brains, stupid fanboy, foolish......etc.

How would you feel? What would you do? I can tell you most would hit the back button on their browser and look at the next forum in the Google list. Gone, and never to look at MR again. In my bouncing around at a few iPad forums I have already bumped into 2 people that were members of MR that have left for this very reason. No telling how many newbe owners came and went this week that we will never know about. In one week the Apple Device forum has become as busy as the Sony and Kindle forums here. In six months it could easily be the largest device forum here. But not if the new folks don't feel welcome.

I realize kennyc or Jack or any of the others have no concern over the future of MR or this Apple forum. But the fact is (and time will tell) sony's and Kindle's market share of the reader market will go down. The next generation of ebook readers are going to be looking for a forum home..... I hope Mobileread will be an open and welcoming community for them.

Okay, off the soap box now

GlenBarrington · 04-11-2010, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottjl

i would think the "casual user" wouldn't care what they were staring at. it's the zealots who have a preference for one or the other.

I think you are correct. I consider myself a casual user and while I like my Sony eInk screen well enough, there are other attributes to my reader that I believe are more important to my reading comfort.

AprilHare · 04-12-2010, 05:20 AM

I have feminine friends IRL who don't like what Apple called it.
I've been listening to their ire a lot as you may have noticed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DixieGal

I don't like what you called it.

AprilHare · 04-12-2010, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Thanks for editing the thread title.

I liked it as it was, but moderators will be moderators. As it is I feel it does not alter the intent of my discourse so let's carry on.

Glad to hear the perspectives people are bringing to this. EPUB support is essential to me and Apple have made their abhorrence of certain Adobe products clear in the past. I believe this in itself rules out ADE and as such one source of a good EPUB implementation.

FBoespflug · 04-12-2010, 05:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

I have a Kindle 1 and have read a good bit on my girlfriend's iPad.

I'd call myself a casual user as I'm not an avid reader or die hard e-ink fan. I seldom read for more than one hour straight etc.

I prefer the iPad to the Kindle. I tend to read in dimmer lighting, so the backlight turned down to the appropriate level works well. I prefer the larger screen as I can make the text bigger and still have a ton more words per page. And I love not having the slow page turns and flash of e-ink.

I'll eventually get the iPad or some other tablet and use that as my main reading device. Though the tablet will get used more for internet, video, newspaper apps etc. than novel reading.

I agree with you, someone like me who's used to read a lot of novels can content oneself with an eBook Reader like Kindle, Bebook etc... their size is very pratical, I can put mine in my handbag, which is not very big, wherever I go and the battery hold a long time before needing a new charge. It also very comfortable to my eyes. That's why I appreciate it.
Although I couldn't yet see or have a real Ipad in front of me or in my hands.
I think it had other abilities. Waiting for it to be released in France or at least in Europe.

cmdahler · 04-12-2010, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bremen Cole

Let me explain my concern for all the non-owner haters hanging out in this forum. The iPad has been out 1 week, and there are already around a half a million owners in the US. That number is not going to go down. That number is going to double, triple, and beyond over the next year. Lot's of potential Mobileread forum members will be stopping by for a look around...... Let's suppose it's you. You just got your new toy, you're excited and perhaps have a question or two. You are a newbe, and you drop into MR to check it out. You go to the forum for users of your new toy. You see your new toy called nothing special, over priced, locked down, pointless, a waste of money......etc. You see that since you purchased this device you are someone who laps up what the company puts out, a sheep, someone with no brains, stupid fanboy, foolish......etc.

I wouldn't worry about that too much. You'll find that kind of snobbery anywhere you go on the Internet. The permissiveness of anonymity makes people posting on forums write in ways they would never dream of speaking in real life. Most folks who frequent forums and such are aware of this. If they don't like MR for that reason, they'll just move on to some other forum where they'll eventually encounter the same attitudes.

MR is certainly populated by its fair share of snobs and nonsense, but not really more than its fair share. The naysayers will naysay for a while until they get tired of that game or get totally smothered out by the increasing popularity of the iPad. In keeping with the title of this particular thread, the iPad is so many lightyears ahead of any eInk device out there that there's really not much comparison to be made. I loved my Sony 505 until the day I got the iPad. I haven't picked up the Sony since. The iPad is indeed hands down a better reader in all respects. Apple has some work to do with enhancing their ePub capabilities, but I mainly read PDF anyway, and Goodreader takes care of all my needs in that area. Yet even if Apple were to leave their ePub reader untouched, it would still beat any other eInk device out there six ways from Sunday. My Sony is going on eBay, and I'll never look back.

volwrath · 04-12-2010, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmdahler

I wouldn't worry about that too much. You'll find that kind of snobbery anywhere you go on the Internet.

MR is certainly populated by its fair share of snobs and nonsense, but not really more than its fair share.

In keeping with the title of this particular thread, the iPad is so many lightyears ahead of any eInk device out there that there's really not much comparison to be made.

I loved my Sony 505 until the day I got the iPad. I haven't picked up the Sony since. The iPad is indeed hands down a better reader in all respects. Apple has some work to do with enhancing their ePub capabilities, but I mainly read PDF anyway, and Goodreader takes care of all my needs in that area. Yet even if Apple were to leave their ePub reader untouched, it would still beat any other eInk device out there six ways from Sunday. My Sony is going on eBay, and I'll never look back.

So you talk about MRs snobbery then go on to spout such statements as the iPad is hands down better than any eink reader? Especially when you state that most of your reading is PDF. Its common knowledge that the 6" ereaders dont handle pdf very well and for pdfs the iPad is awesome.

For casual ereading, the prs505 blows it away, namely for screen clarity, and weight. i find it somewhat difficult to read on my side with the iPad, and an iPod Touch or my prs505 makes for a much better choice.

cmdahler · 04-12-2010, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by volwrath

For casual ereading, the prs505 blows it away, namely for screen clarity, and weight. i find it somewhat difficult to read on my side with the iPad, and an iPod Touch or my prs505 makes for a much better choice.

Nah, the 505 has nothing on the iPad. Even Apple's incomplete implementation of ePub is way better than Sony's. Of course I'm a typical MR snob - isn't that what 95% of the people here are? I'm glad you still like your 505 - it looks like a toy to me now that I've got this iPad, though. Happy reading!

MerLock · 04-12-2010, 01:35 PM

Even though the software may not be up to par for ebooks in the IPad, I feel that things will change. As ebooks become more popular there will probably be mor apps for reading them and in my opinion, it's fairly likely that current ebook apps will be updated to allow for more and better functionality. Most likely the current apps were rushed out the door to make it out in time for the lauch of the Ipad. I don't agree that medicore software should be rushed out the door but that seems to be the trend now days.

If you get a dedicated reader, you really mainly rely on the manufacturer to upgrade the software. I have a sony and they've done a poor job in doing that. With the IPad, there are so many aveunes for a good reading app to be made and you're not just waiting on someone from Apple to do it. They just have to approve it. =)

dmaul1114 · 04-12-2010, 01:37 PM

Yeah, I'd expect that apps to get much better.

That said, the current apps (at least Kindle and iBooks, haven't tried Kobo etc.) are 100% usable. Page turns and book marking are easy. Easy to adjust font size and screen brightness within each app etc.

So for most users, the current apps are fine. Maybe some limitations for more advanced users, people who care about ePub (I couldn't care less what format my reading material is in), people big on typography etc. But for most folks, the current apps are fine, and should only get better as they get updated, more apps come out etc.

richman · 04-12-2010, 02:06 PM

I have the 505 and for linear reading , one page after another , it's fine.
But the problem I had with the 505 was medical pdf books. No color, it was a mess, complete mess.
Many of us have to read medical,legal type ebooks and NO eink reader can do it. My laptop although nice sucks too because it's so hard to use the keyboard/mouse to look at pages. The IPAD instant zoom , pinch, and easy resizing of pages makes these type books do-able.

For outside use/ and other places for light and portable I could use the 505, but for hospital use/school use/legal use, I'm glad IPAD came to the scene.

The IPAD needs a SD slot so we can put new info in it, ebooks, photo's, music, docs. Also a couple of usb ports would be helpful so we could add devices like, scanners, camcorders, printers, etc.

rwsimon · 04-12-2010, 02:10 PM

As someone who has used a Sony Reader for 3 years, I am in a pretty good position to compare it to the iPad, which I've had for a little over a week.

The short version is that, all things considered, the iPad is a far more sophisticated and capable device (although as a caveat, in terms of features, I only have a PRS-500 to compare and not the latest models). It's nice having a built-in dictionary, the ability to copy text from books into other programs, etc.

With respect to the display, I am not finding any problems with eyestrain or such due to the backlighting. I generally do turn down the brightness under most reading conditions. I am sure that this aspect is quite personal in nature; people will have to see for themselves how the display works for them.

There is definitely a tradeoff with respect to LCD vs. E-ink. The Sony works great in the sun; the iPad is no good in direct sunshine. On the other hand, the Sony is useless in dim light while the iPad is great. So it boils down to where you tend to do your reading.

Although I have read a couple of hundred books on the Reader, I am not someone who worries about fonts and margins and the like, so I have no sensitivity to the discussions here about the capabilities of the current software. Certainly the ePub implemented on the iPad blows away what is available on my Sony. But once again, I'm sure there are people with specific needs that can only be met by one device or the other.

So, while I am not ditching my Sonys quite yet, I am not sure how much use I will be making of them going forward. Since I just got $20 in Sony eBooks credit for having my Readers re-upgraded to fix the battery life problem, I will at least be reading a few new books on the device.

Finally, with regard to the tiresome discussions of Apple that show up on every online forum, they just seem to be unavoidable. Some people love Apple products and some people don't, just as is the case for any product. What is unusual is the need for some people who don't like Apple products to badger people about it. I haven't looked but I doubt that the Kindle forums are full of Sony people attacking Amazon, or the Sony forum full of Nook people attacking Sony, or what have you. This forum is presumably for people who (misguided or not) have chosen an Apple device for their electronic reading. It would be nice if those who make other choices would not take up so much of this forum berating Apple owners. I believe there are forums for "which e-reader should I buy?". Those would be great places to rant and rave about the evils of Apple, if one is predisposed to do so.

Anyway, happy reading!

dmaul1114 · 04-12-2010, 02:13 PM

Actually people bashing the Kindle in the Kindle forum isn't all that prevalent. There is some--especially around the 1984 debacle etc.

But for the most part, this has been the only device area I've seen on Mobileread where so many non-owners/haters post attacking the device etc.

Most of the others tend to serve as what they should be--a place for owners to discuss their device with other owners, and people interested in learning about the device coming to ask questions of owners.

rwsimon · 04-12-2010, 02:16 PM

As someone who has used a Sony Reader for 3 years, I am in a pretty good position to compare it to the iPad, which I've had for a little over a week.

The short version is that, all things considered, the iPad is a far more sophisticated and capable device (although as a caveat, in terms of features, I only have a PRS-500 to compare and not the latest models). It's nice having a built-in dictionary, the ability to copy text from books into other programs, etc.

With respect to the display, I am not finding any problems with eyestrain or such due to the backlighting. I generally do turn down the brightness under most reading conditions. I am sure that this aspect is quite personal innature; people will have to see for themselves how the display works for them.

There is definitely a tradeoff with respect to LCD vs. E-ink. The Sony works great in the sun; the iPad is no good in direct sunshine. On the other hand, the Sony is useless in dim light while the iPad is great. So it boils down to where you tend to do your reading.

Although I have read a couple of hundred books on the Reader, I am not someone who worries about fonts and margins and the like, so I have no sensitivity to the discussions here about the capabilities of the current software. Certainly the ePub implemented on the iPad blows away what is available on my Sony. But once again, I'm sure there are people with specific needs that can only be met by one device or the other.

So, while I am not ditching my Sonys quite yet, I am not sure how much use I will be making of them going forward. Since I just got $20 in Sony eBooks credit for having my Readers re-upgraded to fix the battery life problem, I will at least be reading a few new books on the device.

Finally, with regard to the tiresome discussions of Apple that show up on every online forum, they just seem to be unavoidable. Some people love Apple products and some people don't, just as is the case for any product. What is unusual is the need for some people who don't like Apple products to badger people about it. I haven't looked but I doubt that the Kindle forums are full of Sony people attacking Amazon, or the Sony forum full of Nook people attacking Sony, or what have you. This forum is presumably for people who (misguided or not) have chosen an Apple device for their electronic reading. It would be nice if those who make other choices would not take up so much of this forum berating Apple owners. I believe there are forums for "which e-reader should I buy?". Those would be great places to rant and rave about the evils of Apple, if one is predisposed to do so.

Anyway, happy reading!

scottjl · 04-12-2010, 02:18 PM

Actually the Sony forum isn't full of trolls. I hung out there quite a bit because of my 600. I also don't see the same level of activity on the iPad dedicated forums I frequent, it simply isn't tolerated. I took some time off from MR because of it and am about to reach that point again, may or may not come back next time. As Bremen pointed out (great post btw) MR has the most to lose when possible new users come in and see the trash talk up front and decide this isn't the forums for them. The trolls certainly aren't going to convince me to give up my iPad!

Anyway, hopefully it's the last we'll see of them.

04-11-2010, 06:54 PM	#61
Bremen Cole Wizard Posts: 1,115 Karma: 2718 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Texas Device: iPad	Let me explain my concern for all the non-owner haters hanging out in this forum. The iPad has been out 1 week, and there are already around a half a million owners in the US. That number is not going to go down. That number is going to double, triple, and beyond over the next year. Lot's of potential Mobileread forum members will be stopping by for a look around...... Let's suppose it's you. You just got your new toy, you're excited and perhaps have a question or two. You are a newbe, and you drop into MR to check it out. You go to the forum for users of your new toy. You see your new toy called nothing special, over priced, locked down, pointless, a waste of money......etc. You see that since you purchased this device you are someone who laps up what the company puts out, a sheep, someone with no brains, stupid fanboy, foolish......etc. How would you feel? What would you do? I can tell you most would hit the back button on their browser and look at the next forum in the Google list. Gone, and never to look at MR again. In my bouncing around at a few iPad forums I have already bumped into 2 people that were members of MR that have left for this very reason. No telling how many newbe owners came and went this week that we will never know about. In one week the Apple Device forum has become as busy as the Sony and Kindle forums here. In six months it could easily be the largest device forum here. But not if the new folks don't feel welcome. I realize kennyc or Jack or any of the others have no concern over the future of MR or this Apple forum. But the fact is (and time will tell) sony's and Kindle's market share of the reader market will go down. The next generation of ebook readers are going to be looking for a forum home..... I hope Mobileread will be an open and welcoming community for them. Okay, off the soap box now Last edited by Bremen Cole; 04-12-2010 at 06:05 AM.

04-12-2010, 02:06 PM	#71
richman Addict Posts: 269 Karma: 58 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: sony prs-505 BLUE,itouch,netbook	I have the 505 and for linear reading , one page after another , it's fine. But the problem I had with the 505 was medical pdf books. No color, it was a mess, complete mess. Many of us have to read medical,legal type ebooks and NO eink reader can do it. My laptop although nice sucks too because it's so hard to use the keyboard/mouse to look at pages. The IPAD instant zoom , pinch, and easy resizing of pages makes these type books do-able. For outside use/ and other places for light and portable I could use the 505, but for hospital use/school use/legal use, I'm glad IPAD came to the scene. The IPAD needs a SD slot so we can put new info in it, ebooks, photo's, music, docs. Also a couple of usb ports would be helpful so we could add devices like, scanners, camcorders, printers, etc. Last edited by richman; 04-12-2010 at 02:12 PM.

04-12-2010, 02:10 PM	#72
rwsimon Connoisseur Posts: 50 Karma: 288 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Upstate New York Device: 2 Sony PRS-500s, iPad	As someone who has used a Sony Reader for 3 years, I am in a pretty good position to compare it to the iPad, which I've had for a little over a week. The short version is that, all things considered, the iPad is a far more sophisticated and capable device (although as a caveat, in terms of features, I only have a PRS-500 to compare and not the latest models). It's nice having a built-in dictionary, the ability to copy text from books into other programs, etc. With respect to the display, I am not finding any problems with eyestrain or such due to the backlighting. I generally do turn down the brightness under most reading conditions. I am sure that this aspect is quite personal in nature; people will have to see for themselves how the display works for them. There is definitely a tradeoff with respect to LCD vs. E-ink. The Sony works great in the sun; the iPad is no good in direct sunshine. On the other hand, the Sony is useless in dim light while the iPad is great. So it boils down to where you tend to do your reading. Although I have read a couple of hundred books on the Reader, I am not someone who worries about fonts and margins and the like, so I have no sensitivity to the discussions here about the capabilities of the current software. Certainly the ePub implemented on the iPad blows away what is available on my Sony. But once again, I'm sure there are people with specific needs that can only be met by one device or the other. So, while I am not ditching my Sonys quite yet, I am not sure how much use I will be making of them going forward. Since I just got $20 in Sony eBooks credit for having my Readers re-upgraded to fix the battery life problem, I will at least be reading a few new books on the device. Finally, with regard to the tiresome discussions of Apple that show up on every online forum, they just seem to be unavoidable. Some people love Apple products and some people don't, just as is the case for any product. What is unusual is the need for some people who don't like Apple products to badger people about it. I haven't looked but I doubt that the Kindle forums are full of Sony people attacking Amazon, or the Sony forum full of Nook people attacking Sony, or what have you. This forum is presumably for people who (misguided or not) have chosen an Apple device for their electronic reading. It would be nice if those who make other choices would not take up so much of this forum berating Apple owners. I believe there are forums for "which e-reader should I buy?". Those would be great places to rant and rave about the evils of Apple, if one is predisposed to do so. Anyway, happy reading! Last edited by rwsimon; 04-12-2010 at 02:18 PM. Reason: Typo

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04-12-2010, 01:35 PM	#69
MerLock Evangelist Posts: 411 Karma: 1034889 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: none	Even though the software may not be up to par for ebooks in the IPad, I feel that things will change. As ebooks become more popular there will probably be mor apps for reading them and in my opinion, it's fairly likely that current ebook apps will be updated to allow for more and better functionality. Most likely the current apps were rushed out the door to make it out in time for the lauch of the Ipad. I don't agree that medicore software should be rushed out the door but that seems to be the trend now days. If you get a dedicated reader, you really mainly rely on the manufacturer to upgrade the software. I have a sony and they've done a poor job in doing that. With the IPad, there are so many aveunes for a good reading app to be made and you're not just waiting on someone from Apple to do it. They just have to approve it. =)

04-12-2010, 01:37 PM	#70
dmaul1114 Wizard Posts: 2,300 Karma: 1121709 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Amazon Kindle 1	Yeah, I'd expect that apps to get much better. That said, the current apps (at least Kindle and iBooks, haven't tried Kobo etc.) are 100% usable. Page turns and book marking are easy. Easy to adjust font size and screen brightness within each app etc. So for most users, the current apps are fine. Maybe some limitations for more advanced users, people who care about ePub (I couldn't care less what format my reading material is in), people big on typography etc. But for most folks, the current apps are fine, and should only get better as they get updated, more apps come out etc.

04-12-2010, 02:13 PM	#73
dmaul1114 Wizard Posts: 2,300 Karma: 1121709 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Amazon Kindle 1	Actually people bashing the Kindle in the Kindle forum isn't all that prevalent. There is some--especially around the 1984 debacle etc. But for the most part, this has been the only device area I've seen on Mobileread where so many non-owners/haters post attacking the device etc. Most of the others tend to serve as what they should be--a place for owners to discuss their device with other owners, and people interested in learning about the device coming to ask questions of owners.

04-12-2010, 02:16 PM	#74
rwsimon Connoisseur Posts: 50 Karma: 288 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Upstate New York Device: 2 Sony PRS-500s, iPad	As someone who has used a Sony Reader for 3 years, I am in a pretty good position to compare it to the iPad, which I've had for a little over a week. The short version is that, all things considered, the iPad is a far more sophisticated and capable device (although as a caveat, in terms of features, I only have a PRS-500 to compare and not the latest models). It's nice having a built-in dictionary, the ability to copy text from books into other programs, etc. With respect to the display, I am not finding any problems with eyestrain or such due to the backlighting. I generally do turn down the brightness under most reading conditions. I am sure that this aspect is quite personal innature; people will have to see for themselves how the display works for them. There is definitely a tradeoff with respect to LCD vs. E-ink. The Sony works great in the sun; the iPad is no good in direct sunshine. On the other hand, the Sony is useless in dim light while the iPad is great. So it boils down to where you tend to do your reading. Although I have read a couple of hundred books on the Reader, I am not someone who worries about fonts and margins and the like, so I have no sensitivity to the discussions here about the capabilities of the current software. Certainly the ePub implemented on the iPad blows away what is available on my Sony. But once again, I'm sure there are people with specific needs that can only be met by one device or the other. So, while I am not ditching my Sonys quite yet, I am not sure how much use I will be making of them going forward. Since I just got $20 in Sony eBooks credit for having my Readers re-upgraded to fix the battery life problem, I will at least be reading a few new books on the device. Finally, with regard to the tiresome discussions of Apple that show up on every online forum, they just seem to be unavoidable. Some people love Apple products and some people don't, just as is the case for any product. What is unusual is the need for some people who don't like Apple products to badger people about it. I haven't looked but I doubt that the Kindle forums are full of Sony people attacking Amazon, or the Sony forum full of Nook people attacking Sony, or what have you. This forum is presumably for people who (misguided or not) have chosen an Apple device for their electronic reading. It would be nice if those who make other choices would not take up so much of this forum berating Apple owners. I believe there are forums for "which e-reader should I buy?". Those would be great places to rant and rave about the evils of Apple, if one is predisposed to do so. Anyway, happy reading!

04-12-2010, 02:18 PM	#75
scottjl Reader of Books Posts: 1,632 Karma: 2697 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: none	Actually the Sony forum isn't full of trolls. I hung out there quite a bit because of my 600. I also don't see the same level of activity on the iPad dedicated forums I frequent, it simply isn't tolerated. I took some time off from MR because of it and am about to reach that point again, may or may not come back next time. As Bremen pointed out (great post btw) MR has the most to lose when possible new users come in and see the trash talk up front and decide this isn't the forums for them. The trolls certainly aren't going to convince me to give up my iPad! Anyway, hopefully it's the last we'll see of them.

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