I've had enough with this "iPad killing Kindle" thing

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by =X=

Yes that is huge for many, including myself. But there are a few more differences that are segnificant. Battery life and free 3G.

And that's why I see them being different devices with not much chance of killing one or the other off--other than the DX and other large screen readers maybe being in trouble if they can't get price down.

Otherwise they are very different. Only need to read text, ,want e-ink, want super long battery life and free 3G (that you can't do much with other than get books)? The Kindle 2 or other e-ink device is for you.

Want a color screen, multi function device that can do all kinds of stuff, and you don't mind reading on LCD and are fine with 10-11 hours of battery life? The the iPad (and other tablets down the road) is for you.

I don't see why so many here, so many journalists etc. treat this like some zero sum end game where either tablets or e-ink readers has to win and kill the other.

There's plenty of room in the market for both.

[Fat Abe]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

I don't see why so many here, so many journalists etc. treat this like some zero sum end game where either tablets or e-ink readers has to win and kill the other.

There's plenty of room in the market for both.

Ever since most journalists saw the movie, A Perfect Mind, they've been trying to apply the zero sum game theory to all forms of economics. Certainly, for most families, there is a finite budget for discretionary items, e.g., video games, cds, dvds, bluray discs, books, and the hardware to play each of these forms of media. To understand discretionary income, you have to look at the real estate market, and of course, the stock market. Other than getting a large pay raise or bonus, there aren't too many ways of increasing ones wealth. Sure, you could write a bestselling novel, but that is not in the cards for the average person. Thus, it always returns to (1) your job, (2) home equity, and (3) investments. During the last major stock market decline, investors lost billions of dollars. The SEC filed a civil suit against Goldman Sachs today:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...845670844.html

However, GS is merely the latest whipping boy in the CDO scandal. These Wall Street boys, banks and GSE's took a big slice out of my pie. Laughingly, some of you probably think I was already too fat, and should go on a diet.

Bottom line- the net worth of families is starting to increase again, mortgage rates are still low, and the job market is stabilizing. Since this increases the amount of discretionary income, we move out of a zero sum game, and into a game with more (perceived) cash in the hands of consumers. Steve Jobs may not be the smartest man on the planet, but he is one of the luckiest and most opportunistic. The iPad came along in 2010 and not late 2008. Apple will sell many units, limited only by what I call the "boredom" or novelty factor. Kindle has to compete on price and features, and Bezos is probably aware of this, and planning accordingly. Both Amazon and Apple should listen to consumers NOW, and start to design in features that many on this board have loudly complained about in countless threads. If you treat your customers with indifference, you wind up like GM. Give us a compelling reason to buy your product, as well as the next product.

[MV64]

Played with an iPad today. It was fun but didn't really seem to have a point. And having a backlit screen certainly isn't going to make me go out and replace my e-reader with it. E-ink is what makes e-readers better.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by MV64

Played with an iPad today. It was fun but didn't really seem to have a point. And having a backlit screen certainly isn't going to make me go out and replace my e-reader with it. E-ink is what makes e-readers better.

Well the point is whether you need/want a media consumption device in tablet form factor.

If you're fine with doing all your net browsing, video watching, magazine/comic reading, large (A4) PDF reading etc. on PC or paper and reading on an e-ink reader than it definitely has little point for you.

For me I don't like the laptop/desktop form factor for any kind of reading beyond working with word documents, and I'm not that enamoured with e-ink with my Kindle as I seldom read for more than an hour (and never in direct sunlight) so I don't really reap the benefits of the screen tech.

So for me tablets like the iPad have point as they give me a device that has a form factor I prefer to laptops/pcs for reading PDFs, magazines/comics, web sites (news, blogs etc.), watching streaming video in bed (less heavy, no heat output etc.) as well as being fine for my novel reading needs.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by dyrinn45

If a company can make an ereader that has the sex appeal of the nook, and market it for 125-199 dollars, i bet you will see a big insurgance of ereaders.

The nook is not sexy. It's kind of ugly.

[leebase]

The iPad will only have a marginal effect on the sales of the kindle. The kindle is already expensive. I think people stretch to get the kindle....and the iPad is twice as expensive.

What the iPad will do is negate the desire for a kindle for _most_ people who buy the iPad. That will surely only represent a small part of the market.

Then you have those who really want the eInk. And who want a lighter, smaller device.

I have an iPad, love it for reading. But I was never going to pay $250 for just a dedicated ereader. I read books on my iPhone before I bought my iPad.

What the iPad WILL do, is widen the audience for ebooks. More awareness and acceptance of ebooks will result in more sales of kindles.

The iPad might end up having a net positive effect on sales of the K2 sized ereaders. The Dx -- now THAT device, I have little hope for.

Lee