OSNews

On ageing eyes (~40+) that's true, but on younger eyes I am lead to understand that there is still a potential issue.

However trying to use an LCD on the move with bright light reflected and so on would me several magnitudes worse than simply just reading from an LCD in a darkened room


So turn a light on like you'd have to do with an old fashioned book.

I managed that when I was a kid. In fact I thought all bedrooms these days came equipped with a piece of technology called a "bed-side lamp" which is ideal for your sort of problem.


Regardless, it is still a portability issue that the Kindle wins against the iPad when comparing like for like.
Plus many people like to read on holiday when at the beach, or on the train / plane or even in the bath.
You don't see many electrical hook-ups in those locations.


No, but most people are. You're usage is pretty specific and pretty rare compared to most peoples eBook requirements. Thus eInk makes much more sense for the majority of people.

Edited 2011-07-31 10:15 UTC

"Lead to understand" by whom? Please cite your sources for that claim.


So turn a light on like you'd have to do with an old fashioned book.

I managed that when I was a kid. In fact I thought all bedrooms these days came equipped with a piece of technology called a "bed-side lamp" which is ideal for your sort of problem. "
Unlike you, I do not sleep alone. I don't want to keep my significant other awake if I decide to read in bed for another half an hour or so after she's ready to drift off.

Of course you can put on a "bed-side lamp" to read. It's not like you're going to keep anyone else awake. You know what's "ideal for your sort of problem"? Single serving frozen dinners.


The iPad has a 9-10 hour battery life. How long do you spend reading in planes, trains, or the bath?


No, but most people are. You're usage is pretty specific and pretty rare compared to most peoples eBook requirements. Thus eInk makes much more sense for the majority of people. "
Reading magazines is rare? Do you stop and gawk when you see someone reading Popular Photography, Smithsonian, Rolling Stone, Car and Driver, Boating, Motorcyclist, or Wired? The National Directory of Magazines lists over twenty thousand different magazine titles just in the U.S. and Canada. There are far more magazines sold than books.

You are claiming that it's rare for people to read non-fiction books with color photos, drawings, graphs, and charts? Is it shocking to you to learn that normal people read things like travel guides, auto repair manuals, books about photography, and textbooks, all of which contain color photos and/or multi-color illustrations?

Normal people are living life; they are enjoying travel, sports, and hobbies, and reading about those things in full-color, glossy (like the screen of an iPad) magazines and richly illustrated books. That's partly why 29 million iPads have been sold while only 1.5 million Kindles have been sold -- despite the Kindle being sold for twice as long and at a fraction of the price.

P.S. With only 61% of the pixel count of the iPad, the Kindle suffers from the small amount of text that fits on its tiny screen. Coupled with page turning that New York Times columnist David Pogue described as "a bizarre, black-white-black flashing sequence," it is annoying to anyone who reads faster than the typical six year old.