Kindle goes on the offensive against the iPad

Amazon’s Kindle went on the offensive recently on their e-reader vs. the iPad.  Amazon’s kindle was arguably the first real mainstream successful e-reader.  Leveraging their sizable market position in book sales online.  They took their content ability to a device.  Now in its 3rd generation it continues to get cheaper and the text more clear.  The iPad is really what I would call a converged device.  The iPad tells you that you don’t want to carry multiple devices and that this unit can be your e-reader/laptop/ipod.  The challenge with converged devices is often “jack of all trades, master of none” applies.  In the recent TV campaign Kindle takes its shot at the iPad on one of these traits, a glossy screen.  Glossy screens are critical to the iPad to reduce finger print show and to make videos and games brighter.   The flip side is in direct sunlight this type of screen will perform poorly and may even be near impossible to see.

So when selecting a device for you, ask yourself what you think you will use it for the most and select that device.  If you want the convenience of an all-in-one product then make sure you know the trade offs.