# Ipad for electronic reading



## jbcohen (Jul 29, 2011)

Let me ask the opinion of those that own ipads, what do you think about reading electronic books on an ipad?


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

That's a pretty contentious subject around here... I have both an iPad and a Kindle, and I prefer the Kindle for several reasons:

iPad too heavy for me to use for long periods of reading
iPad screen bigger than I’m comfortable with for reading books
Not fond of backlit screen for extended periods

That said, many people have no problem with using an iPad for book reading and can’t understand what all the fuss is about.

Both sides are right.

Mike


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

On a dedicated Kindle forum, understandly most of our members will say they prefer their Kindle.  I (typing this on my iPad) read on both.  I use the iPad frequently at night as I don't have to have a light on to read.  But the Kindle, with its long battery life and lightness, ability to read with one hand, is my preferred reader generally.  The backlighting doesn't seem to bother me--I am literally on the iPad all day long, it's my primary device these days.

Betsy


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## Carolyn62 (Sep 5, 2011)

I prefer to read on my Kindle but I do read on my iPad too.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

I read ONLY on the iPad at this point, as does my husband.  My K2 sits basically unused since the iPad first came home more than a year ago.  The iPad was the reason I never bought a K3.  

My mother in law--who adores her ipad for absolutely everything else, cant read on it at all, and is thinking about a Kindle.  

As Mike said, both sides are right.  It's all personal preference.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

For me the iPad is heavier than ideal for reading.  I love the iPad, but only time I read on it is when traveling.  Even then there is a good chance I'll pull out my Android phone to read on instead.

Only way to know your reaction is to try it.


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

I read on my iPad at night in bed with the lights off. I read on my Kindle during the day or downstairs.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

I prefer my Kindle.  But I did read "Unbroken" on my iPad because of the pictures.  I could put it in night mode in the Kindle app and still see the pictures as they should've been (some apps will show pictures as "negatives" when they're in night mode).  I prefer night mode (white print on black background) because it's less backlight shining in my eyes.  I've got a PDF or two that I'll read on the iPad as well because they never converted well for 6" screens.  But overall I'd rather read on the Kindle.


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## KindleGirl (Nov 11, 2008)

Meemo said:


> I prefer my Kindle. But I did read "Unbroken" on my iPad because of the pictures. I could put it in night mode in the Kindle app and still see the pictures as they should've been (some apps will show pictures as "negatives" when they're in night mode). I prefer night mode (white print on black background) because it's less backlight shining in my eyes. I've got a PDF or two that I'll read on the iPad as well because they never converted well for 6" screens. But overall I'd rather read on the Kindle.


Exactly the same for me. I also use night mode when reading on the iPad because it's easier on the eyes, but I don't do it very often. I'd much rather read on my kindle, even if I have to use a book light.


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## kindlegrl81 (Jan 19, 2010)

I prefer reading on my Kindle over my iPad (except for magazines) but the last couple of weeks I have had to utilize the iPad more because I've been in low lighting conditions and I can't find my reading light.  

It is alright but even while using white text on a black background I have to stop and take a break every 30 minutes or so.  With my Kindle I can read for hours without stopping.


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## matt youngmark (Jan 11, 2011)

I bought my wife an iPad for her birthday, and she uses it every day for tons of stuff. But for reading, she still uses my kindle.


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## akagriff (Sep 8, 2009)

I have owned my Kindle longer than my iPad.  I thought I would never use my iPad to read.  Now I think I read from my iPad maybe 75% of the time,  my Kindle about 10%' my Android phone about 5% and an actual book the rest if the time.  I started using the iPad more when my library started using the overdrive app.


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

hsuthard said:


> I read on my iPad at night in bed with the lights off. I read on my Kindle during the day or downstairs.


^^This. I don't read in bed very often, or for very long when I do, but I always use my iPad for that. I just can't get on with any of the booklights, even the one in the Amazon lighted cover. They're just not anything like bright enough for me, the coverage is always patchy and I spend so much time fiddling with them I never get anything read. So on those few occasions, I do use my iPad. At any other time I much prefer my Kindle and use it every day. I long for the day when we can get devices with dual type screens - it has to happen eventually.


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## J.R.Mooneyham (Mar 14, 2011)

I have both an iPad and Kindle.

Although the iPad has its own light source, which is helpful in low light situations, plus can allow you to quickly switch to a different activity (like to the web to look something up), that's about its only advantages. In everything else, the Kindle has it soundly beaten, in these areas:

The Kindle's lighter weight is lots easier to bear for extended periods than the iPad. In fact, the Kindle's SO light, you might forget you're holding it at some point (which can create a problem all its own, if you're not careful, like dropping it, or smacking it against something; the light weight and small size also means it'd be easy to forget a Kindle somewhere, maybe among some papers or file folders-- or even accidentally throw it away in such a pile).

I believe the light weight and related construction may also make the Kindle more vulnerable to damage from people sticking it in a back or coat pocket, forgetting it's there, and accidentally sitting on it (breaking it).

The Kindle's battery life is phenomenal, compared to the iPad. If you use it much at all, the iPad will require charging at least once a day (sometimes twice, in extra heavy usage). But I've never been able to get the Kindle to last less than around three weeks on a charge, no matter how heavily I used it (and even when I kept the wifi turned on 24-7). However, simply turning off wifi when you're not using it can make the Kindle last almost as long as 3 MONTHS on a single charge (if you're also only reading sporadically).

I've never used the iPad outside, and so not encountered the outside glare problem Amazon shows in commercials. However, I've certainly been highly annoyed by the glare from indoor lights on the iPad screen.


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## AllisonKraft (Sep 13, 2011)

I much prefer my Kindle, but until they add the library lending later, I have to use my iPad to read library ebooks. It works well enough, but the backlight gives me a headache. The weight isn't as bad because I use the smart cover to prop it up.

Very anxious for the library feature to finally happen! I'll get a ton more use out of my Kindle once it does. (thanks to agency pricing, I don't buy as many ebooks as I used to.)


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

I have a Kindle 3 (and had a K1 and K2 before it) and have an iPad 2.

For leisure reading of novels I usually stick with my Kindle as it's lighter, has long battery life and the e-ink screen is super easy on my eyes.  That said I don't have sensitive eyes like many on here seem to, and don't have much problem reading on a backlit screen.  So I have no problem reading novels for the library on the iPad while waiting for the Kindle update.

I also do a lot of reading of things that are not well suited to the Kindle/e-ink devices.

-PDFs of scholarly journal articles.  Need a big screen.  Need fast refresh to flip through them quickly.  Need a touch screen for super quick highlight and annotating etc.

-Newspapers and Magazines.  Again need fast refresh to flip through and jump around.  Like the bigger screen to get a more newspaper/magazine like layout wiht multiple columns of text etc.  Color for pictures.  And most good ones have videos embedded these days which need an LCD screen.

-Comics--don't read a lot, but these need a big screen and color obviously.  Other than small, black and white manga, but I have not interest in that stuff.


So for me it's not an either/or proposition.  Some types of reading I prefer on a small, light e-ink ereader, others I prefer on a bigger LCD screen.  Hence why I own and read on both types of devices!


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## HeyDrew (Sep 12, 2011)

For simply reading without intending to do anything else, I would take my Kindle over the iPad in almost every situation.  My eyesight is so good it can see molecules so the iPad is far less than ideal.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty busy and it's very rare that I'm *only* reading for any stretch of time.  Whether it's being on a train, in the subway, taxi, etc., most of the time it helps me to have some sort of internet connection and ability to communicate (email, tweet, Yelp, get directions, etc.)  For this reason I find myself more often than not using the iPad to read.


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## Rasputina (May 6, 2009)

I much prefer reading on backlit screens with color over e-ink. I have a variety of choices as far as text color and background and contrast. I find it much easier to read. Which is why once Amazon released the kindle for iPhone app I quit reading on my kindle and it's now retired. It's also perfect for reading on at night, which I spend a lot of time doing. I'm mostly reading on iPhone though, as I agree with the previous posters that iPad ( I have the first one) is too heavy for and large for one handed reading in bed. My iPhone fits in my palm and I just move my finger a tiny bit to turn the page.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Interestingly, last night I brought my Kindle out and used it for the first time in months. Within an hour, my hands were cramping from pushing the buttons. I switched back to the iPad and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

I'm puzzled though by the number of people who fuss over the weight and don't simply prop the iPad on something. Most of us didn't read hardcovers by holding them up one handed, why would you do the same with an iPad?  Heck, most of the time, I rested heavy paperbacks on something too. And my Kindle, for that matter!

For reading in bed, I most often just rest the bottom of the iPad on my chest and hold it in place by the left upper corner. Reading on my side, it gets propped against a pillow. On the couch, its usually on the WedgePad and either on the rolled arm of the couch, or propped up on me knees when I'm curled up. I've literally never been disturbed by the weight in use because I'm not trying to support it with one hand.


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## tdmsu (Feb 5, 2010)

I enjoy reading on my iPad.  I use the Kindle app mostly, but also iBooks and various dedicated magazine apps and RSS readers (do they count?)

For nighttime reading, I like using the Kindle app's dark background feature.  In bed, I just prop the iPad up in its case and it stand up on my belly for easy reading without having to hold it up.  During the day, like others here, I just prop it up on my leg or something to read.  

I did have a Kindle last year, and I really enjoyed using it - it is much lighter and easier to carry around.  I have to say I miss my oberon cover!  (The iPad ones are just too pricey for me right now.)  

To each his/her own.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I get the weight thing, though I read a lot on the iPad, usually at night for the same reasons Linjeakel mentioned...when I was commuting to work, I read a lot--on the subway, in car pools...propping it up was not really an option.  Or when I'm travelling--in airports, in cars, etc, propping it up doesn't work.  And I never read that many hardbacks, so I tend to compare it to reading a paperback.

Betsy


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## HeatherG (Aug 6, 2011)

I read on my little iPod Touch rather than the iPad most of the time.  At least I did until I got the Kindle 3.  Now most of my reading is done on the Kindle.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Weight doesn't bother me either.  Anything I read--be it iPad, Kindle, hardcover, paperback I'm either reading laying down and resting it on my chest/belly or sitting up and resting it in my lap.


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## laurie_lu (May 10, 2010)

I have both an iPad and a Kindle.  I will not read on the iPad due to the back lit LCD screen.  Too much eye strain.  I am in front of a computer 8+ hours a day.  An LCD screen is the last thing I want to look at when I get home.  My Kindle screen is exactly like reading from a page in a paper book.


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## Rasputina (May 6, 2009)

My issue with the weight of iPad and reading in bed has to do with the fact that with my vision I find it difficult to read for long periods of time if the text is not even with my eyes. I lay on my side reading in bed and I can easily hold iPhone sideways the way my head is tilted so I'm reading straight on. With iPad I can't do that easily in that position for long periods of time. I tend to use iPad in bed while laying on my stomach but I'm usually surfing the net or doing something interactive then so I need my hands at that time anyway.


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

jbcohen said:


> Let me ask the opinion of those that own ipads, what do you think about reading electronic books on an ipad?


When the iPad first came out, I hoped I could get rid of both my laptop and my Kindle. Unfortunately, I was only able to replace my laptop. I strongly prefer my Kindle for reading.

The Kindle is easier on my eyes. I LOVE e-ink.

The Kindle battery is better by weeks. I don't have to worry about finding a plug in if I want to sit and read a book for hours.

I never get a incoming mail ping while on my Kindle. Or anything else to distract me while reading on my Kindle.

The Kindle is an ereader. That is what it does best. If your primary goal is reading, you can't beat it.

But the iPad is a wonderful internet/media consumption device. That is what it does best and you cant bet it. I have ordered a few books on my iPad because they were "enhanced" ebooks but honestly to date I have never finished a book on the iPad (Keith Richards autobiography had Johnny Depp reading in parts so I had to have it, but still havent read the book). It is just not a good choice for me to read anything for very long. Browsing and short articles are ok.


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