Was it really a year ago that I got up at the crack of dawn, stood in line at the local Apple store and left with my new favorite gadget, a 32G wifi-only iPad? The last 12 months have been an interesting period and I thought it would be fun to share the iPad lessons I’ve learned in that time:
iPad is great for consuming short-form content… – In fact, it’s unbeatable when it comes to browsing websites, reading articles, etc. When I think back to the “old days” when I used to subscribe to The New York Times on my Kindle I shudder in horror. I can’t believe I was paying $14/month for that Kindle service. It was awful and remains awful, for that matter.
…but it’s not the best for long-form content — I’ve definitely rethought my original assumption of my iPad replacing my Kindle. For almost 12 months I ditched my Kindle and did all my long-form reading on my iPad. The result: OK, but not exceptional. I still do a lot of long-form reading on my iPad but I also recently bought a new Kindle and use it as an accessory for my iPad. The combination is a terrific solution, or at least till Apple does something with their proposed patent on a hybrid eInk/LCD display.
Content consumption? Yes. Content creation? Not so much — I haven’t been able to ditch my laptop on road trips. It’s just way too awkward typing on the virtual keyboard for more than a tweet or two. I’ve also tried a Bluetooth keyboard but it’s less than optimal constantly having to move your hand from keyboard to screen and back. Maybe a Bluetooth keyboard with a built-in touch pad would work…
Some of the best apps are free — Zite is a great example. It’s a fairly new app but it’s quickly become one of my favorites. Thanks to Zite I’m finally at a point where I can see my iPad replacing the daily paper.
Instapaper is a must-have app for every iPad owner — ‘Nuff said.
MLB knows their At Bat app users are addicted — Why else would they charge $14.99 for the iPad version and another $14.99 for the iPhone edition? Yeah, I was a sucker last year and bought both but this year I limited myself to just the iPad version. I’m using one of the many free ESPN apps for MLB updates on my iPhone.
My battery isn’t as strong as it was on day one — I haven’t closely measured this but I’ll bet my battery only holds a charge for about half as long as it did when I bought my iPad. Speaking of which, does anyone else find it odd that reading an ebook (with the Kindle app) sucks the battery dry faster than, say, watching a movie for the same length of time? Btw, you can’t blame multitasking for the battery issue. I noticed the drop-off before the multitasking iOS update ever arrived.
Discoverability is still a huge issue in the app store — That’s why one of the last things I do each night is check out the new releases that day. There’s got to be a better solution (and I’m afraid the genius feature isn’t it).
I have no use for the iBookstore — It all comes down to content use on a variety of platforms. I buy all my ebooks from Amazon because I know they offer reader apps for all platforms. Why would I buy an ebook from Apple knowing that they’ll only let me read it on one of their devices?
Why upgrade to iPad 2.0? — I certainly don’t see a reason to. Yes, it’s thinner and offers cameras but I’m quite happy with iPad 1.0, thank you very much.
reposted with permission from iPadHound blog
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Instapaper is the app for every Iphone and web user also!
I agree with most of this in my 1 month’s worth of iPad ownership, except:
I’ve found that it’s become my default reader, which I didn’t think would happen based on size and heft. Yes, it’s awkward in bed, but its versatility (all the reader apps–I have 8 and counting) outweighs (heh) that.
iBooks sucks.
I just did a similar post about my feelings a year on from a librarian perspective.
Agree with your comments.
I used to use instapaper especially on my iPod, but I haven’t in months. Reeder rss feeder, or ever note does me.
iBooks sucks even more here, there are books for sale here, only the free out of copyright books.
Not getting an ipad 2 anytime soon either.
“I buy all my ebooks from Amazon because I know they offer reader apps for all platforms. ” No, they don’t. You can’t read Kindle books on Nook, Sony Readers, Kobo, or the host of other ebook readers out there which support ePUB and PDF but not Kindle files.
This is absolutely true.
@anon
there are converter from prc/mobi to epub without any bigger problems.
So no problem with that!
Yes, problem with that:
Amazon books have at least one layer of encryption added. Yes, one CAN break it, but does one want to go to the trouble to do it? Certainly, your average Kindle user won’t even think of it.
It’s MOBI versus EPUB/PDF. You’re never going to get to plug-and-read a MOBI format in a device/software that doesn’t read it. Therefore, it’s crippled on that end.
On the other end, you’re never going to get a device that only reads MOBI to read EPUB/PDF.
At most, you can get a device that will run the software to read all three, i.e., Kindle and Bluefire, but there is no device or software that will read all three.
MOBI was dead in the water until Amazon came up with a killer device that resurrected it. With that in mind, then, it becomes a question of who has the most books, who’s got better search capabilities, and who’s most convenient to buy from.
Amazon, hands down. (iBooks really does suck.)
Now we shall see what happens in June when Apple implements its toll.
Joe wrote: “I also recently bought a new Kindle and use it as an accessory for my iPad”
I guess it’s how you look at it…
So for productive work you still use your laptop and for longterm reading you use your Kindle……this would suggest the your Ipad is actually an accessory for your Laptop and Kindle?
Thanks for this article – I’m in the Market for an iPad. May be taking the tablet plunge soon…!
Kindle Lessons Learned After a Year Away | The Digital Reader // Apr 19, 2011 at 7:14 am
[...] Kindle market. My wifi-only Kindle is getting almost as much use as my iPad. I recently wrote a post about lessons learned the first year with that device. I figured I ought to do something similar covering lessons learned after a year away from the [...]