James Fallows at the Atlantic posts follow-ups from his readers on the ‘all in one device’ debate.
A lot of the arguments against ‘one device to rule them all’ apply to Kindle Vs iPhone -
- There are physical and hardware limitations to just how multi-purpose an all in one device can be.
- Dedicated Devices will keep improving as all-in-one devices improve.
- The ‘convenience’ factor is over-rated.
- Current investments in devices that are better at individual functions means they aren’t going away anywhere.
There are also counter arguments like this one which, rather conveniently, mentions Kindle Vs iPhone -
“Personally, my new iPhone 3GS has crossed the threshold of being a “good enough” e-reader that I will probably never go for something big and clunky like a Kindle”.
And its camera, at 3MP, is almost the equal of the first digital camera I bought (3.3MP), from which I have many photos that are certainly “good enough.”
That is the whole problem – ‘good enough’ is not enough.
The iPhone is Master of a few Trades, not all
Lets consider the iPhone and some common uses -
- Browsing - There’s no way that the iPhone can supplant a PC or laptop and the dedicated keyboard and huge screen.
- Games – Again, a console and TV (especially a good one) are a much better choice for games than a tiny screen.
- Reading – We’ll jump into this more. The short version is that a small, LCD screen cannot replace a 6″ eInk screen.
- Camera – Take the same picture with an iPhone and with a 12 MP camera and ask yourself what you’d prefer if you had to take a photograph you want as a keepsake.
- Video – Everyone who thinks Flips and other sub $200 HD recording camcorders are going to die because the iPhone has VGA recording are mistaken. All the videos on this site are HD videos from a tiny Kodak Zi6. The iPhone can’t give you anything close to that level of quality.
- You can have journal apps and take notes – However, a real life journal is much better. Even something on your PC like The Journal or OneNote is much better.
Because you carry it everywhere the iPhone is often the most convenient device to use. However, that doesn’t make it the best device to use.
Take the iPhone camera –
- 3 MP, Autofocus, Tap to Focus, Video Recording, VGA up to 30 fps with audio.
Do people seriously think that will make digital cameras extinct?
Take a Canon SD780IS (my current camera) -
- 12.1 MP, 3x zoom lens, Optical Image Stabilizer, HD video recording (720p at 30 fps). It’s also the size of a pack of cards.
If you had to take pictures of your kids or on your vacation what would you rather choose?
People who say the iPhone 3GS camera is good enough don’t consider that when you want a lifetime memory the difference between ’good enough’ and great is HUGE.
iPhone might be evolving, so are Dedicated Devices.
The key thing here is something a James Fallows commenter pointed out – iPhone and other all in one devices are improving. However, so are dedicated devices.
- iPhone gets a 3 MP camera and 12 MP cameras get HD video recording and become smaller than a pack of cards.
- iPhone gets VGA recording and the Flip gets HD video recording.
- iPhone gets eReader Apps and Kindle gets a 9.7″ screen DX, Read To Me, and WhisperSync.
Consider the Flip and how much more convenient it is than previous generation camcorders – dedicated devices are going to keep evolving.
The Loser’s Choice Argument
The one most common argument used in favor of all-in-one devices is -
- Why would you buy a $250 camera instead of a $500 phone does 10 things?
Well, the short answer is – You don’t have to choose one. That’s a loser’s choice.
- The iPhone is great when you’re unprepared and want to quickly capture the moment.
- The ‘unneccessary, going to die’ $250 camera is great if you love photography enough to take it with you, or when you know you’ll be needing it.
The two questions to ask are -
- Do I have to pick just one?
- Which one is better at Function X? How important is function X to me?
That brings us to eReaders and eReading Apps.
Kindle Vs iPhone
Let’s take a look –
With medium font sizes this is what we get -
- iPhone (on 3rd of 5 sizes) has 80 words per screen.
- Kindle (on 3rd of 6 sizes) has 210 words per screen.
Note that the video has iPhone with a smaller font size (2nd of 5 sizes) which is almost too small to read.
Here are the benefits of the iPhone -
- You get Kindle for iPhone for free.
- You carry it with you everywhere.
- There’s color.
- There’s a back-light.
- There are a variety of eReader Apps in case you don’t like Kindle for iPhone.
- There are thousands of eBooks as Apps.
Here are the benefits of the Kindle -
- Much larger screen.
- Screen (eInk) optimized for reading.
- Very long battery life.
- Does not hurt your eyes.
- Read To Me Feature (when not disabled by a Book’s Publisher).
- In-built dictionary and Wikipedia Access.
- The device is designed for reading.
- No distractions.
In many ways the state of eInk puts the Kindle at a huge disadvantage. It still is better for reading.
Going back to the points we made earlier -
- People who want a great reading experience will choose the Kindle.
- Casual Readers will love the free reading apps on the iPhone.
- You can have both.
- As Reading on the iPhone keeps getting better (including Apple iReader/Apple Slate) Kindle and other eReaders will keep evolving too.
If people do not want to spend $259 on a Kindle because reading is not that important for them or they can’t afford it – that’s fine. However, let’s not pretend that it’s because the iPhone is better for reading.
As eReader companies tap into developers and let people innovate eReader features dedicated eReaders will become much better.
It’s impossible to do everything well – the All-In-One Magic Device is a myth
With the App Store and its excellent design the iPhone does a few things exceptionally well and is decent or good at a lot of other things.
However, there are always compromises -
- Games etc. need a color screen which makes an LCD necessary and instantly makes long-term reading difficult.
- It being a phone makes the small size necessary instantly making a keyboard impossible.
- The Camera having to fit and having to be within a certain price range means no zoom and a limited resolution.
And so forth.
As the iPhone becomes good at a million little things it’s also becoming stuck in the ‘good enough’ zone for each of those million little things.
The Apple Slate will fix the size problem. However, the compromises made in trying to be good for everything makes the iPhone incapable of being excellent at most of them.
When an iPhone owner claims an iPhone makes digital cameras (or for that matter, the Kindle) unnecessary, they are letting their love for the iPhone blind them to the fact that it is neither the best camera nor the best eReader.
People in love with reading and photography are not going to give up Kindles and Cameras.
Filed under: apple ibook reader, kindle Tagged: | kindle vs iphone
I have a Kindle, an iPod Touch and a decent digital camera (Canon S3). What I find is that I do 95% of my reading on my iPod and take 95% of my pictures with my cell phone. For me, it doesn’t even come down to which device does what best, it comes down to convenience and portability.
I would probably use my Kindle more at home if WhisperSync was faster and more reliable. As much as the feature is touted, it doesn’t work well for me because I can’t seem to be able to get it to sync when I want, plus I don’t leave the wi-fi on on my Kindle, so I have to turn it on and wait some unknown amount of time to see if it got synced, then test it on my touch, find out it didn’t take and try again. It’s easier to just keep reading on the touch. Plus I do a lot of reading in bed after my wife is asleep, and the touch is way easier to read with than fooling with a light.
I do prefer reading with my Kindle and I do prefer the pictures from my camera to cell phone pictures, but it’s just not convenient.
I do 20% of my reading on my Touch, 75% on my Kindle and 5% in hardcopy (or Dead Tree Versions).
I leave Whispersync on all the time and have no problem with syncing between the two. When I put the Kindle to “Sleep” i.e. it goes to screensaver, it automatically syncs. The Touch syncs when you go back to the home screen or restart the app. It does not sync if you just exit the app while in the book.
I’m so tired of reading your personal opinions presented as objective facts that I’m on the verge of unsubscribing from your weblog.
I was a Kindle early adopter, receiving my hardware Kindle in November of 2007; since then, I’ve purchased over 300 Kindle books, and have read ~270 of them. The last 70 or so Kindle books I’ve read were via the Kindle for iPhone app on my iPhone 3G and now 3Gs, which I find to be just about infinitely superior to my hardware Kindle, which gathers dust.
I’ve also read 3-4 books with the B&N reader app (app works fine, B&N just don’t have the content, yet), and about 30 books via Bookshelf (mainly Baen Webscription ebooks).
I’m 41 years old, and have no problem at all reading via the gorgeous iPhone LCD screen. My iPhone 3Gs has a 32GB capacity, which means it can hold tens of thousands of books, far more than the hardware Kindle. The iPhone is small, light, is always with me, and the Kindle App for iPhone has worked internationally since its launch, due to the 3G and WiFi capabilities of the iPhone.
*The LCD screen on the iPhone does not make long-term reading difficult for me* – it may do so for you, but I resent the fact that you presume to speak for me. I disagree with you that the iPhone is any more distracting than the Kindle – I find it less distracting, in that if my phone rings, I answer it, speak, hang up, and am automagically taken back to the reader app, rather than having to fumble around with multiple devices. The battery life is fine, as I charge my iPhone every day, and I can access the whole Internet unfettered with the iPhone and the relevant apps almost anywhere at any time, unlike the crippled, WiFi-less hardware Kindle.
Your arrogance and presumption that your opinions are the ‘correct’ ones is immensely offputting, and is beginning to outweigh the benefits of your insight and analysis. What is it about your pscyhological and emotional makeup which drives you to conflate your personal opinions with objective fact, thus implying that those of us who disagree with your tastes are somehow stupid or lacking in discernment?
Insulting your readership isn’t a good way to retain them; why can’t you just express your opinions as your opinions, rather than pretending they’re established, objective, unchallengable facts?
To be clear, *your assertions about the alleged superiority of the hardware Kindle over the iPhone as a reading device are 100% bogus*. You may well *believe* that the hardware Kindle is superior, and you’re entitled to your belief – but that’s your *opinion*, not some foundational objective reality. The rest of us who disagree with you will continue to enjoy the non-dedicated readers we own and use daily with or without your approval or permission, and you’d be wise to recognize that fact and stop insulting us.
hey – it’s a blog. I’m not insulting you or anyone else.
The comments feature is if you disagree.
now everyone can read my take and your take and decide for themselves.
why would i want to insult anyone.
we have one commenter for whom the conveince wins, one for whom the kindle wins and for you the iphone wins.
everyone gets to see these opinions.
When you say ‘Because you carry it everywhere the iPhone is often the most convenient device to use. However, that doesn’t make it the best device to use.’, you *are* insulting me – because I’ve decided that the iPhone *is* the *best* device for me to use in all circumstances.
If you instead said ‘Because I carry it everywhere, the iPhone is often the most convenient device for me to use. However, that doesn’t make it the best device for my purposes.’, that wouldn’t be insulting – it’s the use of the ‘you’ that irks.
When you say ‘they are letting their love for the iPhone blind them to the fact that it is neither the best camera nor the best eReader’, you’re insulting me yet again – I’m not ‘blind’, nor do I let me ‘love’ for the iPhone dictate my tastes and choices.
The iPhone *is* the *best* e-reader for me, period. Not because I’m ‘blind’, but because I *prefer* it. Just like the iPhone isn’t the best camera for me – I vastly prefer my Leica M8.2.
But if the iPhone camera is the best camera for you, based upon your priorities and choices, I completely respect our difference of opinion.
Do you understand the difference in approaches?
I really, really resent you calling me ‘blind’. It is insulting and arrogant on your part. Just because I disagree with you, I don’t think you’re ‘blind’ – I merely think we’ve different priorities and tastes, and I’m not arrogant enough to presume that mine are somehow superior to yours.
It would be nice if you would grant me the same presumption competence and maturity.
Mr. Dobbins,
two parts to it.
first – I have zero intention of insulting anyone.
let’s get that clear.
second – let’s take another example so we can see what I mean –
My mother’s love for me blinds her to my flaws.
I am NOT calling my mother blind. She might very well get upset if someone said that and perhaps she has reason to – however it would not be calling her blind.
anyone who reads my blog is appreciated.
as are their opinions.
you have taken all these things and intentions that don’t exist i.e. intent to insult you, arrogance, presumption, superiority and brought them up.
this is a review site and a blog. there will always be negatives that are brought up along with the positives.
i really don’t know what to write because you’ll just assume that i have some bad intention.
it’s a lose-lose situation for me.
It’s 8:46 am on a saturday and i’m writing this because thanks to the joy of my iphone your comment reached me.
see – now that’s negative too.
instead of being happy that i get email everywhere i’m being negative.
i’m just tired. so tired because there’s no way to answer you.
you are just making all these assumptions and i have nothing except words.
and every word and every phrase can be interpreted in so many ways.
i give up. there’s not much i can do.
i think the nook is in a tie with the kindle so amazon probably hate me.
i poke fun at apple so apple hates me.
i have a kindle blog so everyone else hates me.
and i’m up at 8:54 am trying to convince a reader of my blog that i don’t hate them.
it’s a good thing there’s finally sunshine in vancouver so at least one thing in my life is ok.
My supposed ‘love’ for the iPhone as an e-reader doesn’t ‘blind’ me to its flaws. *It is the best e-reader for me, based upon my cold, clear, sober assessment of its merits*.
It is the best device for me to use as an e-reader *in any situation*, not just when I’m out and about. I prefer using it over my hardware Kindle even when I’m sitting here at home in my recliner.
I’m in love with reading – have been all my life, and suspect I read more than you do – and, contrary to your assertion above, I’ve happily given up my hardware Kindle. *I will never use the hardware Kindle again*.
Now, do you get it?