Updated July 17, 2012
With the new iPad, Apple has solidified its presence on the e-reader device market, a market that had previously been the domain of Amazon, with its Kindle, and Barnes and Noble, which offers the nook.
Those devices are dedicated e-book readers, while the new iPad packs an e-book reader in along with its other features, such as web browsing, multimedia, and App Store support. But that versatility doesn't necessarily make it a better product. Devices that do one thing really well can also be appealing.
This chart doesn't compare user experience or book price. It simply stacks the three devices up against each other from a hardware and cost perspective to help you make a purchase decision.
e-Reader Comparison: iPad vs Kindle vs nook
| 3rd gen. iPad | Kindle | Kindle Fire | nook/ nook Tablet |
Sony Reader (3 models) |
Kobo eReader Touch |
|
| screen (inches)/ resolution | 9.7/ 1024x768 LCD |
6/ 600x800 E Ink |
7/ 1024x600 LCD |
6/800x600 E Ink/ 7/1024x600 |
5-7.1/ 800x600 - 600x1024 E Ink |
6 E Ink |
| color | yes | 16 shades gray | yes | 16 shades gray/ 16 million colors |
8/16 shades gray |
16 shades gray |
| storage | 16GB-64GB | 2GB | 8GB | 2GB / 8GB or 16GB |
512MB (expandable) | 1GB (expandable) |
| connectivity | Wi-Fi/3G | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi | 3G | Wi-Fi |
| connectivity cost | optional, US$15- $50/month |
free | free | free | free | free |
| ebook format | ePub, Kindle, |
Kindle, PDF, MOBI |
Kindle, PDF, MOBI |
ePub & PDF/ePub, PDF, Doc, | ePub, PDF, TXT, RTF, DOC, BBeB Book |
ePub, PDF, MOBI, TXT, RTF |
| web browser | yes | limited | yes | limited/ yes | no | no |
| audio/video? | yes | audio | yes | audio + images / yes |
audio + images |
no |
| games | yes | no | yes | yes | no | no |
| size (in.) | 9.56 x 7.31 x 0.34 | 6.5 x 4.5 x 0.34 | 7.5 x 4.7 x 0.45 | 6.5 x 5.0 x 0.47/ 8.1 x 5 x 0.48 |
varies | 6.5 x 4.5 x 0.4 |
| weight (lb.) | 1.3-1.35 | 0.37 | 0.89 | 0.47/ 0.88 | 0.485-0.798 | 0.44 |
| price | US$499-$829 | $109 | $199 | $99/ $199 | $169- $349 |
$129 |
| reviews | 3rd gen. iPad review | Kindle review | Kindle Fire review | nook Color review | Sony Reader review | 1st gen. Kobo review |
