Yes the iPad is an E-book Reader however it also does a lot more. Depending on how, where and what you plan on reading it may do the job for you.
I currently own both a Sony Prs-650 E-book reader and a 32gb iPad and I don’t plan on giving either of them up anytime soon. They both have a purpose in my life. The Sony Replacing an older Sony Prs-505 that I recently retired due to the battery wearing out.
The Questions to ask yourself are.
1: Where are you planning on doing your reading?
If your main purpose is to read in bed before you go to sleep then the iPad may be the better choice. As it is backlit and does not require any additional light to read by. The Ereader is like paper if it is dark enough in the room that you could not read a book then you will need light to read the Ereader as well.
However if you are a reader who reads on the bus to work. Outside at the coffee shop, or on your back deck. Or you enjoy a good read while lying on the beach in Maui or Macau then the ereader is your only option. The backlit LCD display on the iPad is unusable in sunlight areas. If the sun is shining in the window you may have problems and in direct sun forget it. While the ereader works best under these conditions.
2: What do you like to read.
If your main source of reading is Novels or News articles. Where Graphics/Photo’s are unimportant then the Ereader is the better option. The Ereader is your Electronic Paperback.
However if you will be reading a lot of PDF documents which include Diagrams or Photo’s then the iPad really shines. The screen is that little bit bigger and allows you to view full pages of most pdf formatted books/manuals. The iPad is your full color magazine or manual.
3: Battery life.
Both have good battery life however if you are traveling a lot and chances to recharge are few. The Ereader will last far longer than the iPad before requiring a charge.
My Sony PRS-505 when new would last 2 weeks on a charge while reading for a min. of 3 -4 Hours per day.
My iPad will last 7 to 10 hours before needing a recharge.
The Ereader can be charged from a laptop or any usb port as well as from an AC Adapter. The iPad requires an AC Adapter to charge.
One thing to Note both of these devices have batteries that are built in and are not end user replaceable. At the current time Sony wants more to replace the battery than the replacement Ereader will cost.
4: Capacity.
E-books in the epub format can be read by either machine. These files are quite small. Most novels will be well under 500k in size. My Sony reader came with 256mb of built in memory, the newer Sony models have 2 gb thus you should be able to hold over 2,000 novels on the newer Sony.
Some models also have a slot for a memory card. The Sony PRS-505 and PRS-650 have both a memory stick duo slot and a Secure Digital (SD) Slot.
The iPad comes in three sizes 16, 32 and 64 gb. There is no way to add more memory onto it.
However PDF Manuals vary a great deal in size with 150 to 300 mb for an individual PDF file very possible. I took a look at one of my directories of manuals and they averaged at about 80mb each. Based on that figure the 16 gb version will hold 200 PDF’s, The 32gb 400 and the 64gb 800. These numbers assume you are using the iPad for nothing other than a pdf reader.
5: Other things to consider.
Size.
Most Ereaders are about the size of a paperback novel and less than 1 cm thick. They will fit in a jacket pocket or a large pocket on a set of cargo pants or shorts.
The iPad is the size of a letter sized pad of paper. In a case which you need for either reader you are looking at almost 2 cm thick. This will not fit in a pocket of any type of clothing I know of other than a Scottevest .
In reality if you are not willing to carry a netbook then the iPad will be too much. I am currently working on this post on a Lenovo X100e which is Lenovo’s Professional grade Netbook and the iPad is about 1 inch smaller than it.
Weight
The IPad is about 3 times the weight of the ebook reader.
6: Other uses.
The Ereader is that, It is a machine purpose designed for one thing only reading e-books.
The iPad is much more. It is a machine to surf the web, check your email, watch a video and much more. Many of the tasks you currently perform on your laptop or desktop PC can be performed on the iPad. As the market matures there will be more and more useful applications available for the iPad.
Summation:
After all you will be the one using the device and only you can decide which one will work the best for you. They both have their advantages and disadvantages. And it may be that you either need neither or like me can see a place in your bag for both devices.
So no I will not be getting rid of my Sony Ereader and replacing it with the iPad nor will I be selling my iPad. I can see places in my lifestyle for both.
The next article will be comparing the iPad to the Netbook. As far as usability, form and function.