2 ms·
Bad News For The Kindle: iPhone 3G + Apps
- yan 18y agoNot bad news at all. The devices have completely different purposes and solve completely different problems. The reasons that the Kindle (and other e-ink-based readers) exists are the negatives that other devices like phones and PDAs bring with them that hinder normal reading. Smaller screens, abysmal battery life when it comes to an activity like reading and the general discomfort of using it. The article linked to here is identical to those published when the first Palm pilots were coming out, claiming the end to books. Yes, some people will use the iPhone to read but it will be far from optimal. While the iPhone has a gorgeous high-resolution display, it isn't exactly suited for reading anything longer than a web page or an email. Scrolling to a new page every 8 seconds, watching your battery slowly drain and not having the stability that a larger device/screen gets you are all reasons people won't be reading books anytime soon on such devices. Kindle and kindle-like all have displays that make looking at them for extended periods of time comfortable, have the physical dimensions that won't give you a headache while reading them on the train and won't drain the battery of a device you rely on. I feel the mark of any good tool is its ability to get out of your way. Sure, you can take Pulitzer-winning photos with a point-and-shoot, but photographers spend thousands on proper equipment because they know exactly what they want out of their cameras and the better equipment gets out of their way and lets them express themselves without having to trick their gear into conforming to their intents. Ditto for operating systems, programming languages, cars, sports equipment, etc. Using the iPhone for reading is tricking it into doing something it wasn't intended for.