Kindle vs. iPad from a Die-hard Paperback Lover

This entry is from our Albany High intern who came to The Troy Book Makers this winter. Here’s a view of reading from the next generation.

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A printed book is the purest form of literature, but being people of the 21st century that’s just not enough anymore. Having an item that does one thing and one thing only seems almost inefficient! Personally, I love a new printed book, the way it smells, the way the spine cracks when you first open it, or just the fact that I can simply flip to the back of book and read the ending. With a printed book, there’s a joy of feeling the pages, the cover, and the weight of the book in your hands. No matter what kind of technology shows up, I’d like to think I’ll always spend $25 on a New York Times best-selling hardcover.

These days, so much of our world can be confined to our devices, our computers, our Kindles, our iPads. With a computer, you can find a PDF of almost anything, if you look hard enough. With a Kindle, who needs an actual dictionary? It will tell the definition of any word you click on! With an iPad, what’s the point of a Kindle or a computer? It seems to have all features, as well as a pretty big touch screen with hundreds of thousands of applications to keep you entertained and informed. Even with all those options, I am still a die hard fan of printed literature! It’s more important to me than devices.

I’ve had the opportunity to use both the iPad and a Kindle and each device isn’t without its flaws. Here’s a look at a few features of each:

A Kindle is a great eReader.
It’s possibly the closest to a book that I’ve seen, the size is small like a standard printed paper back. I like it because of the way text is presented on the screen, it’s very easy to read. I also like the the fact that it’s not back lit, it’s less irritating on the eyes. This feature helps reduce glare from the sun, but it also means a Kindle can’t be read in the dark.

An iPad is a good reader, plus more.
It is back lit, which means it can be read almost anywhere (except for in direct sun because of glare). A big bonus for the iPad is the App Store, which offers endless hours of entertainment. If you just want to read, all the other options for how you can spend time are definitely distracting. Even though the iPad is more expensive, I think it’s a better product to invest in because of all its uses. I personally prefer an iPad as an eReader because it’s so versatile.