Does Apple’s iPad pass muster as an ebook reader?
Updated
You can read opinions about Apple's iPad elsewhere. Here I ask if it is the eBook reader to lead the way from print to a brighter, possibly greener, maybe paperless digital future.
It's a serious contender and likely to displace Amazon's Kindle from pole position. While the iPad in its current form is still short of ideal, it nudges ebooks nearer the goal.
Of course, this barely matters. Consumers will buy the device regardless of its suitability as an ebook reader. So the iPad could be the breakthrough ebook. My comments relate only to Apple's iPad as an ebook reader.
How I rate the iPad as an eBook reader:
Its size is about right. The iPad is lightweight, slim and big enough for comfortable reading.
I've some doubts over the way Apple will sell ebooks – in my view the company clips the ticket too hard. Publishers will feel they have little choice but to conform. It's an ironic lock-in given Apple's historic market strategy of being the anti-Big Brother computer maker.
Ten hours battery life is at the low-end of acceptability. It may handle a long-distance flight, but other readers do better.
At 9.7 inches, the display size is right. Colour is good. The screen resolution at 1024-by-768-pixel is less than ideal for long-term text reading - I've seen reports of either 100 or 115 dots per inch (dpi). I'm indebted to Bruce Hoult (@brucehoult) who twitters a simple calculation sqrt(1024^2+768^)/9.7 shows it's 132 DPI.
While this is way better than the 72 dpi on a standard PC display, it's going to mean tired eyes. Likewise the LED-backlit display is less than ideal.
Apple's price is respectable for a multi-function device able to handle many applications, but at US$499 plus, it's a hefty tag for an eBook reader.
My first impression is it needs a lower price, better display and improved battery life if the iPad is to become a serious threat to the printed book – these are all matters Apple may address in coming months.
Scorecard (out of ten):
| Physical size and weight: | 9 |
| eBook sales and distribution: | 7 (with reservations) |
| Battery life | 6 |
| Display characteristics | 8 |
| Price | 5 |
| Overall | 7 |
Finally
These opinions are based on media reports – I haven't yet touched the device.
Bill: The iPad display uses IPS (In Plane Switching) to give a much higher contrast ratio than normal backlit displays. It should be very readable.
MacDoctor
28 Jan 10 at 11:02 pm
A high contrast ratio is important, but the display is still going to be more tiring on the eyes than print. Of course the great majority of people simply won’t care about this.
Bill Bennett
29 Jan 10 at 9:03 am
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