I Was Wrong About Apple iPad →
Joe Wilcox, on Betanews:
I was wrong. On further reflection, I realized that iPad offers fresh functionality: Immersion. I find there are fewer reading distractions, and content is better presented than on a laptop and browser.
In my Kindle 2 review, the day before the iPad was announced, I wrote:
But the biggest advantage is the Kindle’s lack of any good use other than reading. When I pick up a Kindle, I read. There is no Twitter, RSS, email, games, etc.
After having the iPad for two weeks, I still believe this is true. My iPad time is coming mostly from my MacBook and iPhone use.
Instapaper reading is only area where the Kindle is loosing ground to the iPad. The whole experience is just too perfectly integrated. But when I need to sit down and just read, the Kindle is still the device I pick up1.
However, with the iPad you can make the case that it’s the perfect device for browsing the web, because of the lack of screen multitasking2. In away, the iPad is to a laptop, what the Kindle is to the iPad.
I have no illusions that dedicated book readers have their days counted. But right now, I still feel comfortable recommending the Kindle and other eBook devices to people that want the best reading experience
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Things is, the iPad is good enough that if the Kindle is in the bedroom, and the iPad next to you in the livingroom, you most likely won’t get up and get it. Every time this happens, the value of the Kindle starts to suffer. ↩
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Even with iOS 4’s multitasking support, you can argue that while the OS allows Apps to keep running, the user is still doing one thing at the time. ↩
