Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Apple has sold its millionth iPad in just 28 days

ipadwatcher.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 113 posts

Re: Apple has sold its millionth iPad in just 28 days

#51

Post by jacquesm »

modoc wrote: post #37
smakz wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you ever tried to actually read on an iPad you would understand why. The glossy screen means you can't read in natural light, and the backlit screen causes eye strain. For long stretches of reading, iPad can't replace books the same way the Kindle can. Although I'm personally not surprised that books aren't that popular on iPad, but I was curious if people would overcome the above deficiencies with the form factor…

I don't have a Kindle for comparison however I've had no issues reading books on my iPad even in direct sun out on my deck. Sure if you angle it JUST wrong, it's useless, but I haven't had a problem finding a comfortable reading angle. I've only bought one book on my iPad (just got the 3g on Friday), but the reason I haven't purchased more is that I'm still reading the first one. Once I finish that, I'll be another,…

Exactly. Extrapolation from limited data is bound to be useless, give it 6 months and then let's look at it. By then there will probably be a lot more books available too, publishers will look at the number of ipads sold as a big factor in deciding whether or not to release their content on the medium.

Re: Apple has sold its millionth iPad in just 28 days

#52

Post by codyrobbins »

mos1 wrote: post #29
vtail wrote: post #6

What's interesting is that they have only sold 1.5M books, or 1.5 books per device. Amazon Kindle should be safe.

I have a Kindle and an iPad. The iPad isn't a reader. iPad doesn't work worth a damn in the sun (the finger smudges show up, and the screen washes out), and even in the dark it's just not as nice as reading from paper or kindle. I've found a bunch of use cases where the iPad excels, but there's little to no overlap with the Kindle.

I saw a Kindle 2 for the first time last week, and I was seriously underwhelmed. I can’t imagine how it has gained any traction. The screen is slightly larger than a post-it note, and the best comparison I can come up with is of reading a book on an Etch-a-Sketch.

I have read a ton of Project Gutenberg books on the iPad already, and it is fabulous. The screen does wash out in direct sunlight, but it’s still very readable—I took it to the beach in Hawaii last week a ton and read it for hours. Beyond the beach I can’t imagine anywhere I would ever read something in direct sunlight during the course of my normal life—it’s an enormous edge case for me. Ironically, I’m unable to read a real book at the beach in direct sunlight, because too much light reflects off the page and I can’t stare at it.

And I don’t agree that it’s not as nice as reading off paper or e-ink. Everyone mentions eyestrain but my eyes have never felt ‘strained’, even after reading for six hours. I guess different strokes for different folks, but I don’t think the Kindle and iPad are any comparison. It’s like comparing a calculator and a laptop.

Re: Apple has sold its millionth iPad in just 28 days

#53

Post by grinich »

vtail wrote: post #6

What's interesting is that they have only sold 1.5M books, or 1.5 books per device. Amazon Kindle should be safe.

I think it opens up a bunch of new doors for reading. Its perfect for interactive children's books with mixed media. I can see my future child learning how to read by using an iPad.

Re: Apple has sold its millionth iPad in just 28 days

#55

Post by codyrobbins »

krschultz wrote: post #47
bjelkeman-again wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having read more than two thousand screens (pages?) on an iPad in iBooks so far I don't think there is a major issue. It is highly unlikely that I would replace the iPad with a Kindle. My camera is a lot better than my iPhone as a camera, but the best camera you have is the one you have with you. In the iPad I can carry enough of what I need with me without having to carry multiple devices. I have not bought any book…

I think it depends a lot of where you are reading. I'm sure the iPad would work fine for my commute on the subway. I'm sure I'd rather have a Kindle on the beach. (though I probably wouldn't bring either to the beach since they are going to get stolen or damaged)

I’ve read my iPad at the beach for hours, and I have no complaint whatsoever. It’s actually superior to a book, because the pages of a book reflect too much sunlight for me to look at it comfortably.

Re: Apple has sold its millionth iPad in just 28 days

#56

Post by Timothee »

jacquesm wrote: post #46
mos1 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a Kindle and an iPad. The iPad isn't a reader. iPad doesn't work worth a damn in the sun (the finger smudges show up, and the screen washes out), and even in the dark it's just not as nice as reading from paper or kindle. I've found a bunch of use cases where the iPad excels, but there's little to no overlap with the Kindle.

> I've found a bunch of use cases where the iPad excels What are those ? edit: why would a genuine question out of curiosity be modded down? I'm really weirded out by that. The ipad is a reasonably new form factor and new form factors bring new use cases, and I'd like to know what those are.

Don't worry, I'm sure the downvotes you saw were from a reading of your comment as snarky. There are a lot of Apple haters out there and "what are those?", can easily become "oh yeah? well, what are those use cases smart guy? paper-weight?" in some people's mind.

Your question is totally relevant. The iPad has been presented as being great as many things, but I'd also be curious to know the opinion of people who've used it extensively. During a brief test with one, I just didn't what to do with it. It's the kind of device that you need to really use to see the benefit I think.

Re: Apple has sold its millionth iPad in just 28 days

#57

Post by asnyder »

codyrobbins wrote: post #52
mos1 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a Kindle and an iPad. The iPad isn't a reader. iPad doesn't work worth a damn in the sun (the finger smudges show up, and the screen washes out), and even in the dark it's just not as nice as reading from paper or kindle. I've found a bunch of use cases where the iPad excels, but there's little to no overlap with the Kindle.

I saw a Kindle 2 for the first time last week, and I was seriously underwhelmed. I can’t imagine how it has gained any traction. The screen is slightly larger than a post-it note, and the best comparison I can come up with is of reading a book on an Etch-a-Sketch. I have read a ton of Project Gutenberg books on the iPad already, and it is fabulous. The screen does wash out in direct sunlight, but it’s still very read…

For most readers that screen-size is fine, but if you really want to read you'll need the Kindle DX.

Re: Apple has sold its millionth iPad in just 28 days

#58

Post by macrael »

MikeCapone wrote: post #35
macrael wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Has Amazon ever talked about how many books they have sold? I wonder how many they sold the first month of the Kindle being on sale? I don't think that is necessarily a number to make Amazon feel safe. I have an iPad but haven't bought any books, but I don't have a Kindle either. I imagine there are people who are buying iPads instead of Kindles, and they are responsible for a disproportionate number of the 1.5M book…

> Has Amazon ever talked about how many books they have sold? I wonder how many they sold the first month of the Kindle being on sale? I don't think that is necessarily a number to make Amazon feel safe. Even if we had that number, I'm not sure it would tell us much because the two devices are very different. On the Kindle, buying books is the primary thing to do. On the iPad, it is just one of many. So while many iP…

Right, that's why I think that the total number of books sold, not the number per device, would be an interesting number to compare. Are there more books being bought for the Kindle or for the iPad? What does that graph look like?

Re: Apple has sold its millionth iPad in just 28 days

#59

Post by oscardelben »

codyrobbins wrote: post #52
mos1 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a Kindle and an iPad. The iPad isn't a reader. iPad doesn't work worth a damn in the sun (the finger smudges show up, and the screen washes out), and even in the dark it's just not as nice as reading from paper or kindle. I've found a bunch of use cases where the iPad excels, but there's little to no overlap with the Kindle.

I saw a Kindle 2 for the first time last week, and I was seriously underwhelmed. I can’t imagine how it has gained any traction. The screen is slightly larger than a post-it note, and the best comparison I can come up with is of reading a book on an Etch-a-Sketch. I have read a ton of Project Gutenberg books on the iPad already, and it is fabulous. The screen does wash out in direct sunlight, but it’s still very read…

On the other hand, I read on a kindle DX which has a large screen. I can't imagine reading on a smaller screen but the DX is perfect for me.

Re: Apple has sold its millionth iPad in just 28 days

#60

Post by codyrobbins »

asnyder wrote: post #57
codyrobbins wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I saw a Kindle 2 for the first time last week, and I was seriously underwhelmed. I can’t imagine how it has gained any traction. The screen is slightly larger than a post-it note, and the best comparison I can come up with is of reading a book on an Etch-a-Sketch. I have read a ton of Project Gutenberg books on the iPad already, and it is fabulous. The screen does wash out in direct sunlight, but it’s still very read…

For most readers that screen-size is fine, but if you really want to read you'll need the Kindle DX.

But at that point, you’re spending as much as an iPad for something that has a fiftieth the functionality, and not to mention no color screen. I still just don’t get it.
Post reply on HN