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All iPads Would you buy an Apple designed E-Ink reader?
- Thread starter Yr Blues
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I buy functionality, not styling. I read from my kindle not stare at it.
I have current models of iPads Air and mini that also serve me well. For reading, nothing beats a kindle.
I have current models of iPads Air and mini that also serve me well. For reading, nothing beats a kindle.
Nope. Because given the choice between iBooks and Amazon, I'll take Amazon. While neither is platform agnostic, Kindle is closer, with apps that can be used on a wider variety of devices (without stripping DRM). Plus, Apple would likely charge 3x as much for their device.
I love my rMini even more than my iPhones (past and current). They'll do for reading in a pinch. But for real reading, I'll stick with my Paperwhite.
(And you couldn't pay me to take a Nook. They've tried several times to discontinue it entirely, so I have zero faith that it's a product line they'll continue indefinitely. Their customer service for the product is notorously rotten. And very frequently, B&N ebooks are a third higher in price than their Amazon equivalents. Yeah, no thanks.)
I love my rMini even more than my iPhones (past and current). They'll do for reading in a pinch. But for real reading, I'll stick with my Paperwhite.
(And you couldn't pay me to take a Nook. They've tried several times to discontinue it entirely, so I have zero faith that it's a product line they'll continue indefinitely. Their customer service for the product is notorously rotten. And very frequently, B&N ebooks are a third higher in price than their Amazon equivalents. Yeah, no thanks.)
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I'd buy an iPad that has retina on one side and e-ink on the other, if it could be used for all apps, including Kindle. Apple would clean up with this, especially if both iPad and iPhone sizes had it. I know this already exists but I want it on IOS devices.
Or, how about the smart cover acting as an e-ink display for Apps that could support it. It could be removable and maybe cache books/webpages. Surely that's the future?
Or, how about the smart cover acting as an e-ink display for Apps that could support it. It could be removable and maybe cache books/webpages. Surely that's the future?
You know the perfect solution is a 100% anti-reflective screen. Like this by Corning:
I thought the point of e-ink was that it is like reading from a screen? I love my Kobo because reading from my iPad makes my eyes sore and irritated. I think its the backlighting.
I'm not sure. I am already heavily invested in the Kindle system, so it would be hard for me to switch.
Depends on price. I'm pretty okay with the controls for iBooks (easy page turns even if you switch hands frequently). My biggest gripe is the page turn animation. I'm assuming they'll forego the animation with e-ink so that takes care of my biggest annoyance. As long as sideloaded, non-DRM epub or mobi/azw is supported, I'd be fine.
Granted, I'm quite content with my Paperwhite so the competitor better have pretty compelling features in order to get me to switch. I think a cross between the Kobo H2O and the Kindle Voyage would be quite tempting indeed.
That said, I highly doubt Apple's gonna bother with a dedicated reader when the iPad and iPhone already works just fine as an ebook reader for a large majority of users. Unfortunately, the e-ink reader market is fairly niche. Not that many avid readers to begin with that would consider buying dedicated readers worthwhile. Even among the avid reads, some are die-hard dead tree book fanatics. Also, in the US especially, majority who have switched to ebooks are married to the Kindle ecosystem.
Granted, I'm quite content with my Paperwhite so the competitor better have pretty compelling features in order to get me to switch. I think a cross between the Kobo H2O and the Kindle Voyage would be quite tempting indeed.
That said, I highly doubt Apple's gonna bother with a dedicated reader when the iPad and iPhone already works just fine as an ebook reader for a large majority of users. Unfortunately, the e-ink reader market is fairly niche. Not that many avid readers to begin with that would consider buying dedicated readers worthwhile. Even among the avid reads, some are die-hard dead tree book fanatics. Also, in the US especially, majority who have switched to ebooks are married to the Kindle ecosystem.
I am also heavily invested in the Amazon ecosystem with my kindle. I really doubt I would leave it to go to Apple. Besides, I really think Amazon has that market locked. I doubt Apple would see enough profit in it to compete with Amazon on e-ink readers.
As long as the hypothetical Apple e-ink reader supports non-DRMed epub like iBooks already does, I don't see much of an issue. You can still buy from almost any source, disinfect via Calibre and convert to epub (if it's not already in that format).
One caveat is library ebooks are much easier if you've got an ereader with Adobe DRM support.
I'd say no. I have an original kindle that I don't use much and actually prefer reading on my iPad Air. I realize that outside or in super bright light I can't use the iPad for reading but those are two conditions that I don't read in anyways so it doesn't effect me.
An apple branded e ink reader would probably expensive too.
Nah.
An apple branded e ink reader would probably expensive too.
Nah.
An e-ink reader is out of character for Apple as it's more functionality than stylish so I doubt such a thing would ever get released.
Also I think iBooks will probably be redundant sooner or later because surely those who want to read ebooks get a dedicated cheaper reader such as a kindle
Also I think iBooks will probably be redundant sooner or later because surely those who want to read ebooks get a dedicated cheaper reader such as a kindle
I recently got a Paperwhite and love it. Wouldn't get an Apple ereader because of my investment in Amazon's ecosystem. Would love to see a lcd/e-ink combo device though.
I have an iPad Air 2 and a Kindle Voyage. I love both devices each for their specific usage (watching videos vs reading novels).
I already invested lots of money in the Amazon eco-system regarding novels and other books, so it'd be unlikely that I buy an e-book reader by another company.
I can't see any advantage in an Apple-branded e-ink reader. It'd be just "yet-another-ebook-ecosystem". A field where Apple isn't even particularly good in, at the moment.
I already invested lots of money in the Amazon eco-system regarding novels and other books, so it'd be unlikely that I buy an e-book reader by another company.
I can't see any advantage in an Apple-branded e-ink reader. It'd be just "yet-another-ebook-ecosystem". A field where Apple isn't even particularly good in, at the moment.
iBooks collections and page syncing actually work better than Kindle for sideloaded content. There's plenty of room for improvement on the Kindle (and other e-ink readers for that matter). So far, the best firmware I've used on an e-ink reader is the PRS+ custom firmware for Sony's older PRS line of e-ink readers. Only reason I switched to a Kindle Paperwhite was for wifi support and front lighting.
Granted, it would be better if existing players like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo improved their offerings rather than have yet another player enter the market. You would think choice is good, unfortunately competing DRM formats just makes it one huge headache for the non-technically inclined. If not for DRM, this would be a non-issue. I disinfect my ebooks so I can buy from practically any store and use them on any reader. Alas, not everyone is aware you can even do that (plus it's a legal gray area).
My comment was more regarding the amount of available content in the iBook store, than about the firmware of the device.
I can't really speak for sideloading content, as I don't really do it on my Kindle. I probably would use my iPad for everything I want to read, which isn't available in the Kindle store. Luckily, this is almost never the case for me.
While competition is certainly good, but the DRM combat is kind of stupid, and removing the DRM by hand isn't really an option for me. The convenience of the Kindle store being available on every platform as an app plus the high amount of content available has won the race for me.
Pretty much this. It would mean I'd be locked into buying books from iBooks. I prefer to buy my books from Amazon, if only for the fact that they are usually cheaper.