Apple just introduced the new iPad and everyone is comparing it to the Kindle to see how it matches up. But what I’m not really seeing in the conversation is — for lack of a better term — total cost of use.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Apple. They have a lot — I mean a lot of my business. And I’m sure there will be a market for the iPad, but I don’t get how it stacks up for book lovers. At it’s most basic (Wi-Fi), it’s somewhat cost comparative with the Kindle DX. But if you want equivalent connectivity, you’re paying above and beyond that — up to $30/month. You can buy a lot of books/media for $360 a year. And they’re projecting many of the iPad’s books at $14.99 and up (compared to $9.99 or less for Kindle). That’s good for the publishing houses, and Apple, But it’s sure not good for the book-loving public. Prices just went up 50%.
UPDATE: April 2008. I’m fully admitting I wrote this post in haste. I like the iPad. I want one. But, what inspired this posts was the constant comparisons to the Kindle (which was probably heightened in Seattle’s Amazon-cognizant media). For serious, frequent book readers (all 12 of them), I don’t think it’s as good a device. But it is apparently very good at other things. As I read somewhere, it is a consumption device (not a creation device). And it’s very good at being that. Now I’m thinking I ought to wait for the 4G …
Posted by johnlivengood 