Apple iPad as an E-book Reader

Apple's tablet computers double as e-book readers

Critics started to whisper "Kindle killer" as soon as they found out Apple's much-hyped tablet computer, the iPad, had an e-book reader function. Not quite, say most experts. In several important ways, the Amazon Kindle still holds the edge if you plan to read lots of e-books. But if you intend to use the iPad as an e-book reader only occasionally, reviews say it is the better value.

"If a friend or relative came to me and said that all they wanted was a book reader, nothing more, I would happily endorse the Kindle," Macworld's Jason Snell says. "What the iPad offers is, quite simply, more."

Apple's new iPad (*Est. $500 and up) was released in March 2012. Though prices remained unchanged from the original, the tablet sports a few improvements over the previous iPad 2. These include 4G connectivity in versions that support both Wi-Fi and mobile Internet, a better rear camera and a more powerful processor. More information on the new iPad's features can be found in our report on tablet computers.

The iPad 2 (*Est. $400 and up) remains available, and has seen its price cut by $100 so it can serve as a budget alternative. Many considered the iPad 2 to be a very capable tablet computer and most of the improvements in the new iPad are incremental rather than revolutionary.

However, for those who plan to use the tablet computer as an e-reader, the new iPad has one killer improvement: a high-resolution (2,048 by 1,536 pixel) Retina touch screen (so called because the pixel structure is so densely packed that a human eye can't make out individual pixels). Colors are rich and vibrant -- maybe too much so, some critics grouse -- making pictures and video leap off the screen. For text, it means letters that are incredibly clear and sharp. "There were moments when I was testing the device when I would just marvel at a single paragraph of text, or I kept zooming in and out on a particular headline to see how cleanly fonts are rendered on this screen," writes Joshua Topolsky at TheVerge.com.

However, that doesn't mean that the new Apple iPad is the perfect e-book reader. For one thing, the super-charged graphics and 4G radio (in versions with that feature) can eat up battery life in short order. To overcome that, Apple has installed a battery that's up to the job -- but it's one that's also a bit larger than the one in the iPad 2, resulting in a tablet that's just a touch thicker and heavier than its predecessor. The difference is not huge -- many won't notice, some critics say. However, among those most likely to feel the change are those that will be holding the iPad for extended reading sessions. In addition, while the 10-hour battery life is impressive by tablet standards, it falls well short of e-readers like the Kindle, which can run for a month on a single charge. Finally, glare outdoors or under bright lights is just as much of a problem as it's been for previous iPad versions. Issues like these lead CNET's Donald Bell to say "when you compare the experience of reading on the iPad with its paper-based ancestor or dedicated e-ink readers, the iPad still falls short."

Of course, dedicated e-book readers like the Kindle allow you to do one thing: read e-books. Some also allow users to read newspapers and magazines, play music and audiobooks, browse the web and, in a few cases, run a limited library of apps. But the iPad can do all that and more, thanks to its access to a vast app library. For many, the iPad is every bit as functional as a laptop computer.

Just like other e-book readers, the iPad allows you to buy e-books wirelessly (or download free ones) and read them in a book-like way. You have a choice of apps that can do this, including Apple's free iBooks app and Amazon's free Kindle for iPad. Testers said that the iPad 2's big 9.7-inch color touch screen trounces the 6-inch grayscale E-Ink screens on most e-book readers when it comes to photos and illustrations, and the Retina display in the new iPad leaves even the iPad 2 in the dust in that regard. Pages render quickly, allowing faster navigation, and the powerful processor can create effects like giving pages a paper-like quality.

Since the iPad has a backlit computer screen, you can read in a dark room (E Ink e-book readers require a reading light). Although some reviewers worry that reading on a backlit screen will cause eyestrain, The Wall Street Journal debunks that myth. "Ophthalmologists say there isn't really much of a difference between how the eye works with either e-paper or back-lit screens," The Wall Street Journal concludes. "Neither could damage the eye and neither of these modern screens flicker like old-fashioned TVs."

Like the Kindle, the iPad can download thousands of free books from Google Books and other sources. But when it comes to buying books, iPad holds some advantages. Unlike the Kindle, the iPad reads the widely used ePub format. Apple says its iBookstore has "tens of thousands" of e-books (versus hundreds of thousands at Amazon), and reviews say buying books is an easy and elegant process. In addition, if you want to buy from Amazon (which reviews say usually has the best prices), the iPad can run Amazon's free Kindle app and a variety of other e-book apps, including apps that will let you buy and read content from the Barnes & Noble and Kobo bookstores. One concern that Macworld's Jason Snell had is that there were some pixellation issues with the Kindle app on the new iPad, though he adds that the problem will likely be fixed in an update.

The iPad is also Kindle-like in including built-in Wi-Fi for wireless downloads and wireless capability on step-up models. However, where the Kindle is limited to 3G wireless access via AT&T, the iPad ups the ante to 4G access via either AT&T or Verizon. But that doesn't come without a price … literally. While 3G access is free with the Kindle, you'll pay an extra $15 to as much as $80 per month for 4G (or 3G access if a 4G network is not available) with the iPad -- though at least a contract is not required.

Apple's current iOS 5 mobile operating system includes some eReader enhancements. One is an app called Newsstand. Newsstand displays the latest covers of newspapers and magazines you've selected, using the same wooden bookshelf motif found in Apple's iBooks. Clicking on the cover of a magazine or newspaper opens that publication's dedicated app. CNET reviewer Scott Stein wishes that Newsstand offered more functionality, however. While you can subscribe to a magazine or buy individual issues, currently there is no way to browse or flip through back issues. "Newsstand is a prettied-up smart folder," Stein laments. "Newsstand is either a step toward creating graphically designed folders in iOS, or it's a feature that should be folded into iBooks and given greater flexibility." Frédéric Filloux of the Guardian (UK) agrees: "In its first iteration, Apple Newsstand is no more than a super-shortcut for news-related applications," he writes. The app will, however, automatically download subscribed-to content in the background once per day per publication, so your digital copy of the daily news can be waiting for you on your iPad when you wake up in the morning.

Overall, the new iPad and older iPad 2 are now recommended more often than the big-screen e-book readers designed for business use; see our section on E-readers for Business. For a full analysis of all of the iPad 2's features and functions, see our report on tablet computers.