Last year for Christmas, I bought Cyndi a kindle. I thought it would be a great ereader for her while she was in the hospital having Isaac. Turns out the thing was awesome! I liked it so much, I told her I wanted one. So, for my birthday, I’m getting a kindle. But why?
Why buy a kindle today instead of something like the iPad? I thought about getting an iPad, but didn’t. Here’s why I picked the kindle:
- Price. The kindle I bought Cyndi was $259. Recently, they lowered the price to $189. To get the same connectivity in an iPad (3g) I’d have to spend at least $629 (the cheapest 3g+wifi iPad) but….
- Connectivity. With the Kindle, Amazon pays the wireless bill. With the iPad, I’d be paying for my own 3g service. And yes, you can browse the web on the kindle…the 3g isn’t just for buying books (like it is on the nook)
- International connectivity. Again, Amazon is paying the wireless bill and the kindle works around the world. With an iPad, again, I’d have to pay the bill but the Kindle includes it. Contrast this with the nook where you can only buy books if you are in the US.
A logical question would be why not the Nook? Well, points 2 and 3 explain why. With the nook, the 3g is only for getting books. B&N doesn’t let you browse the web with it. On top of that, you can only buy books from B&N if you are in the US.
Oh, I read this interesting comment the other day about what the Kindle represents. Don’t think of it as something else you have to carry with you…think of it as a library you don’t have to carry with you:
For the people who buy a Kindle, it isnt another device you have to carry around, it is a pile of books you DONT have to carry around!
[Update 2012-12-26 15:40:13] Some internal links changed. I’ve updated them.
Image from bablingdweb via flickr