Kindle Review – Kindle Fire Review, Kindle 4 Review

One of the really contentious advantages of dedicated eReaders over devices like the iPad (and tablets and netbooks) is battery life.

To be fair every advantage eReaders have over other devices is now disputed. However, battery life is particularly interesting – The New York Times can’t just write an article claiming that the battery life advantage is all in people’s heads. We have hard numbers that can’t be disputed.

So let’s look at both sides of the argument and see whether or not eReaders have a big advantage over other devices due to their impressive battery life.

Reasons 10 hours vs 7 days is not a big difference

Here are the reasons people say eReaders’ longer battery life is not important –  

1. 10 hours is enough to last the day. After that they can plug in their device at night.  
2. If they do run out they are usually close to an electric outlet.
3. When they travel they can take their charger with them and usually are able to find an outlet.
4. No one ever reads 10 hours at a stretch. 

Note: iPad actually clocks in at 11 to 12 hours of battery life. Some people have found it closer to 10 hours – However, most people are seeing 11 to 12 hours.

The Law of Diminishing Returns?

Netbooks were able to grow so fast partly due to their impressive battery life and now the iPad is being promoted on battery life too – So there must be some law of diminishing returns where jumping from 2-3 hours of battery life to 5 hours is very impressive, jumping from 5 hours to 10 hours is very impressive (still), and jumping from 10 hours to 7 days doesn’t really matter.

The other possibility is rationalization – The Law of Downplaying Inconvenient Disadvantages.

Reasons 7 days is significantly better than 10 hours

Note that we’re taking the Kindle’s 7 days with wireless use without needing to recharge. You could turn off wireless (or use it sparingly) and last 10 to 14 days. 

1. Hardly ever needs recharging - Having to recharge just once a week is really cool. You don’t really have to worry about it – With 10 hours battery life you could run out every day or every other day. With an eReader you run out every 7 to 14 days. 
2. Worry Free Trips and Vacations – Week long vacations without worrying about recharging. On short work trips and weekend trips you don’t even need to take the charger.
3. Better for International Travel – When travelling internationally you hardly ever have to worry about finding a plug since the battery lasts so much longer. Plus it charges from any PC’s USB outlet without having to be turned off.

Basically, if you assign a slight inconvenience tax to running out of battery charge and having to recharge - Then with eReaders you only pay the tax every 7 to 14 days. With a 10 hour battery life netbook it’s as often as every other day (perhaps even every day).

Related Advantages eReaders have over the iPad

Here are a few things the main stream iPad reviews will not really bring up -

1. You need a custom Apple cable to charge the iPad (that means if you lose it or forget it at home you’re stuck). With eReaders you can use any USB to micro-USB cable (for some eReaders you need a USB to mini-USB cable).
2. Normal PCs and laptops will not charge the iPad while it is on. This is due to it needing a higher power charge. You must turn it off to charge it using a normal USB port. This can be quite an inconvenience when travelling as Macs and other computers with the requisite power output are hard to find.
3. Much less power usage by eReaders.

If the tables were turned then we would never hear the end of the battery life advantage - Since it’s eReaders that have the advantage it gets trivialized.

The truth is probably halfway between the extremes – The longer battery life of eReaders is a significant advantage but not one that by itself decides the argument.

Filed under: eBook Reader Devices Tagged: | ereader vs tablet, importance of battery life