TopicPoint

I have owned the original Kindle and the original Apple iPad and have used both for extended periods of time over the course of many months. As an avid reader, and as advice to those looking to purchase one or the other, I have just one simple piece of advice: Get the iPad, it beats the Kindle without question for all the things I want from an electronic book reader. So, who needs an e-book reader when you have a computer? I think everyone does. The form factor is much smaller than a computer, it's much more natural to hold and read from, and it is more portable and just nicer to do general purpose reading. I would rate both products as roughly equivalent in terms of size and weight. In terms of ease of reading, I actually love the iPad screen - its brilliant color, bright display is wonderful to use. I find the Kindle display rather dull and lifeless after the iPad. For books and magazines, and newspapers, the iPad user experience is a world apart, and far superior to the Kindle user experience. For web browsing, again, the iPad wins hands down compared to the clunky monochromatic, slow Kindle web browsing experience. The only wins for the Kindle come in the area of battery life, but, the iPad charges quickly in a few hours, and battery life has never been an issue. The telltale sign of which product I like better is which one I prefer to pick up when I want to do casual reading- and that is the iPad. Overall, I am extremely satisfied with the iPad as an electronic book, magazine, and news reader.