My new iPad was delivered bright and early Saturday morning — part of the nationwide synchronized rollout of Apple’s latest device — and the UPS delivery lady seemed almost as happy about it as I was. 
“This is better than payday!” she told me. “Everybody is so excited to be getting these.”
In the two days since the delivery, I’ve found a lot to love about the iPad, but for Book Case readers I want to concentrate on my reaction to the iPad as a reader and booklover. I’ll frame my reactions with comparisons to the Kindle, which has dominated the market for e-readers until this weekend.
THE HARDWARE
The iPad is super-thin, beautifully designed, lightweight (1.5 pound) and easy to use. It looks and functions almost exactly like an iPhone or iPod touch, so if you’re familiar with either of those devices you’ll know what to expect. The screen is strikingly sharp, the colors gorgeous and the battery life amazing. The iPad arrived at my house fully charged and the battery was still going strong after an entire day of steady use. The glare on the screen is considerable, however, and because of its 7.5 inch width, holding it like a book can feel a bit clumsy at first.
The Kindle is lighter (10 oz.) than the iPad, uses e-ink rather than a backlit screen and has push button controls rather than a touch system. The screen display is black and white only (or, as some users have described it, gray on gray) — a sharp contrast to the vivid colors of the iPad. Though the Kindle might have the edge in being easy on the eyes for hours of nonstop reading, in every other category, the iPad is a better designed, more functional device. And in addition to reading, the iPad allows users to access the Internet, read email, watch TV shows or movies, and run thousands of specially designed mini-programs (apps). Whether you consider that a plus, or an intrusion on your time for reading books, is up to you.
THE IPAD vs. KINDLE VERDICT: iPad wins this round
THE SOFTWARE
The iPad uses a new e-reader program called iBooks. I loved it almost from the first moment I tried it out while reading a beautifully illustrated edition of Winnie the Pooh (which comes free with every new iPad). Each page is clearly defined on the screen, whether you’re using the iPad in landscape or portrait mode. And when the reader turns the page — by dragging a finger across the page from right to left — the page appears to curl from the edge and turn, exactly as it would on a real book. It’s hard to say why this visual trick is so enticing for a booklover, but it works. Other nice features: tap on any word and you can instantly look it up at dictionary.com, bookmark it or search for it elsewhere in the text. And increasing the font size or style is one-click easy, a big help for older readers who aren’t quite ready for large print books. The iPad is also especially well suited for children’s books and is sure to be a hit with young readers. Children’s books have been among the top ranked reading apps for the iPhone and that’s likely to continue with the iPad.
VERDICT: iPad wins again
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THE STORE
Apple has the goods — a cool new e-reader and appealing software — but at least for now, it does NOT have the books. Especially not a wide selection of books that would appeal to an eclectic reader like me. 
The very first book I wanted to buy was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, which my book club is reading this month. Though I have a hard copy of the book on hand, I thought it would be interesting to compare the experience of reading the same book on the iPad and in traditional printed format. But, darn, Apple doesn’t have this acclaimed book available in its iTunes store, because Random House hasn’t reached a deal with Apple yet. What to do? I went back to the iTunes store and downloaded the brand new (free) Kindle app for the iPad, which enables me to read Amazon’s Kindle books on my Apple device. Then I went to Amazon.com on my browser, found the book almost immediately and downloaded it to my iPad. Amazon has the shopping experience for books down to a science, while the iTunes store seems constrained, hard to browse and to search. The experience of reading Kindle books on an iPad isn’t ideal — for one thing you don’t get the advantages of the iBooks software — but for now it gives users the best of both worlds: the vast book selection of Amazon paired with Apple’s sleek new device.
VERDICT: Amazon/Kindle, hands down
Which of these devices would be best for you depends on several factors, most notably whether you want a gadget only for reading books and periodicals or whether you’d prefer to have other capabilities.
Also, I have to admit that while I love my new iPad, I ultimately put it down and picked up a hard copy of The Book Thief to finish my reading. After several hours of reading on the iPad, I’ll readily admit that I yearned to pick up an old-fashioned book and hold it in my hands, a posture that’s so ingrained in a long-time reader it’s probably been incorporated into our DNA. After all is said and done (and read), a book is still the most portable, most readable and most satisfying “reading device” of all.
Wonderful post. I am so on the fence with all of these gadgets. I know that I prefer an actual book over an e-reader but it would be nice to have an e-reader just for traveling or for other very specific uses. I love Apple products in general but am waiting to hear more feedback on the iPad.
Tell me this, do you have to subscribe to the iBook store? Someone told me that you have to pay a fee to access it.
There’s no fee for accessing Apple’s iBookstore. It’s just like buying music through iTunes — you simply pay for what you buy. And keep in mind that an estimated one half of the 60,000 books now available through the iBookstore store are free. The first book I downloaded was a freebie — Walden. Wouldn’t Thoreau be pleased?
Also, you’re so right about having an e-reader for travel. Even diehard book fans don’t want to lug a bunch of books in a carry-on bag!
Thanks for the info! I think Thoreau WOULD be pleased
You’ve given a fair evaluation of both Ipad and Kindle. But only as a last resort would I buy either one. The last resort being not having access to real books. Call me old-fashioned but I have no desire to buy these products. Out of curiosity I’ll see a demo of one, but that’s all. Even for traveling I’ll read a real book. At this point in life hardbacks/paperbacks rule.
Thanks so much for this comparison. Is there any word on how long it will take the ibookstore to get its inventory up to par with Amazon?
I prefer apple products, and your comparison has helped to explain the device, but as far as using the other apps, which ones does it come with?
And does it have a dvd/cd drive and headphone jack?
There’s lots of conjecture on when/whether the iBookstore will improve its inventory, but nothing definitive. It all depends on whether Apple can reach agreements with more publishers, especially Random House, which has refused to accept Apple’s pricing plan for ebooks.
The iPad comes with only a few basic apps — calendar, notes, a photo viewer — but keep in mind that there are thousands of good free apps available at the app store.
There is no disk drive of any kind on the iPad but there is a headphone jack.
Thanks so much for the information. That’s very helpful.
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And I have just preordered a Kobo. While I too am a diehard “read a real book” fan, I DO appreciate being able to take one little device instead of two 600 page tomes away with me on holiday. Also, I HAVE a computer, I have a portable CD player, so all I want my e-reader to do is allow me to read books – no music, no surfing etc. At $149, Kobo, IMHO, wins hands down – again, for MY purposes.
Sorry to be late to the party, but i must confess i LOVE my Kindle for all the reasons you described. I can read it comfortably for hours on end (gray on gray–yay!) and my battery life doesn’t last all day, it lasts for a week or more of frequent if not continuous reading.
I don’t want to be torn away from my reading by 100 other apps. I want to READ and since i’m not reading books with pictures i don’t care about color while i’m reading. And, of course, shopping from Amazon is the ultimate in instant gratification.
I will likely get an iPad at some point for all it’s wonderful qualities, but chances are i’ll still be reading on my Kindle.
I’m an avid reader and thought I wouldnt like the Kindle but I must say it’s so much easier to hold than some of the longer books that I’m usually reading! I love fantasy novels and they are so thick that my hands hurt sometime. The Kindle has made that experience so much better and when I’m reading it, I’m lost, I don’t even register that it’s not a printed book! My only problem – the publishers came to an agreement with Apple and now the books are so much more expensive. You cannot trade ebooks like you can trade physical books and so I tended to buy MORE books because of a friend’s recommendation and the low 9.99 price point. Now, at 15/16 dollars, I’ll just go to the library. So, now that there’s the IPad, I find myself buying less… which I guess is a good thing.
I debated on which e-reader to buy and researched all of the big ones (B&N’s Nook and Sony as well.) I came away with the Kindle and am glad. And really..it only comes down to the Kindle or iPad. I can’t image the Nook or Sony’s being around too much longer.
The back-lighting on the iPad (or iPhone if using the Kindle app there) hurts my eyes after too long and I don’t like the glare when reading outside. Plus it’s heavier and can’t be held with one hand in bed. It is a nifty device if you want an all around entertainment/media device. But I didn’t. I have a laptop and an iPhone. I wanted an e-reader. Frankly, when I am in bed or laying out in the sun reading – I don’t want the distraction of email or twitter or Facebook or anything else.
In the end, its a personal preference. But I think serious readers, who will veer away from real books, would like the Kindle better….for serious reading.
Thanks for the great article…..I had the same experience….I wanted a book that was not available on the ipad…. I was so excited learning about the amazon Kindle app….thanks so much….I have grown to love reading on my ipad…..
This review leaves the impression that Kindle doesn’t have many fonts (it has six). It has a fabulous one click dictionary as well as bookmarking and note taking capabilities. If you are older the Kindle is a much better choice (plan on getting a stand to hold the iPad since it is almost twice as heavy as the Kindle) plus the glare if you have cataracts makes the iPad very hard to use. No the Kindle is not a book but it does have much more of a book feel than the iPad. If you have kids and plan to let the kids use it primarily than get the iPad. Bottom line don’t make a decision based on someone else’s review. Go out and hand and use them all yourself.