10 Reasons Why the Kindle is Way Better Than the iPad 3

It is time we all admit it: if you are a book reader then the Kindle is a lot better for you than an iPad. This is the big week. Apple is going to announce the iPad3. And I am going to skip all the fun. If I were to upgrade any of my current gadgets (besides that phone of mine) it would be my Kindle. I’d trade it for the newer one – not the Kindle Fire, but the basic one – the cheapest. No touch for me. No color. No flashy apps.

Why? Because the Kindle is way better than a tablet. And here are 10 reasons why.

No Apps

Did you know that there are no apps on a Kindle? No App Store. No Andorid Market. No Ovi Store. No App World. No Marketplace. Just things to read. I like reading. In fact, I love reading. But I am also a sucker for notifications. Can’t get an Outlook email pop up notification without checking its content. So for me, the best thing is to not have apps. Or notifications. Or anything. Just the ability to read. With an iPad 3, I’d be downloading a new app every day.

Amazon

And since I like reading so much, Amazon has been a friend of mine for over a decade. These guys know what I like. They send me these enticing emails about new stuff. That I just HAVE to read. At this point, I have around 50 books waiting for me on my Kindle. I curse Amazon whenever they send me an email with a suggestion. It just mean I’ll be reading more. Yes, you can have Amazon on the iPad 3 as well. But it will not be as well integrated as it is on the Kindle.

Price

You do know that the Kindle is dirty cheap – don’t you? It cost less to just buy one and load it with 20-30 free or inexpensive books to breakeven on your investment. Amazon made sure you know it… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sulfQHdvyEs

Weight

It weighs less than a physical book. You can hold it for an hour or more and read without having muscle cramps. The iPad 3 won’t give you that.

Size

The iPad is humongous.  At 10” it requires a bag. I take my Kindle everywhere, and at times I put it in my pocket – it isn’t the comfiest thing in my pocket, but it is way better than your average iPad pocket.

Brightness

Do you get sore eyes reading on your iPad? That won’t happen with the Kindle – there’s no back lighting on it, so it feels just like reading a real book. Only better. I can go for stretches of an hour or more of reading easily.

Sunlight

Try to read on your iPad 3 in sunlight. Good luck with that. With the Kindle it is second nature. That e-ink technology that is about to pass from this world just works better for a reading experience.

Battery

The iPad has some long battery life. You can go on and on and on with it. But at the end of the day you’ll be plugging it in for some juice. My Kindle doesn’t see a wall socket for weeks. I tend to fill it up before traveling and then not think about it at all. True mobility.

No Smears

No touch = no smears. Every smartphone and tablet today is touch based, which makes them germs infested. With a Kindle, at least the cheapest one, there’s no such thing – no touch capabilities.

Prev/Next

Want to flip a page? There are nice prev/next buttons at both sides of the Kindle. This makes for a great one hand reading experience as you can both hold the Kindle and press it using the same hand. Can you do that with an iPad 3? You’ll need to swipe your finger and hold it at the same time. That will be 2 hands.   So yes, you will probably go for a shiny new iPad 3. But really – do you need it? If you love reading, go pamper yourself with a Kindle instead.   Lazy and can't read it here? How about watching the slideshow instead? [slideshare id=13766997&doc=201207-bloggeek-kindle-vs-ipad-120726123443-phpapp02]