Tablet vs. Kindle

A few weeks ago I thought about writing a piece on Apple's upcoming Tablet computer. Which computer it should be noted that Apple has yet to announce or of which they have yet to even confirm existence. But then I decided that many people smarter than I had pretty much had their say, and my thoughts boiled down to this Twitter comment:

When Apple unveils their Tablet de Awesome*, it's going to make the Kindle look like a Fisher Price kid's toy.

I realize that it's probably unfair of me to make such a statement without the ability to back it up. After all, the Kindle has been an unqualified success, of that there is no doubt. So what the hell am I talking about?

It's been said (by a good friend of mine but doubtless others) that the Kindle and Apple's Tablet (for lack of an official name) aren't playing the same game; that the Kindle is trying to be the best e-reader possible and that's it, while the Tablet will undoubtedly be much more than that. Why carry a bazooka when a handgun works just as well, etc.

While that's a valid analogy, I don't think it's going to apply in this case. Not that I have any knowledge of what Apple is going to actually announce at their press event, but let's assume it's a Tablet and let's assume it has features that directly compete with the Kindle.

Much the same way the iPhone is more than a phone, I believe the Tablet will be more than an e-reader. That the iPhone is not the best phone (as in dialing device) available is probably not in doubt, but it's pretty darn good. And while the Kindle is also good at what it does, there are a number of shortcomings on which I think the Tablet will capitalize.

The most glaring limitation of the Kindle is the screen. Yes, I know that it has e-ink which has superior reflective capabilities that mimic ink on paper making it a joy to stare at for hours.

But the Kindle falls short of providing a superior reading experience when you factor in things like typesetting, pagination, image reproduction, and of course color. All of these factors if added to the Kindle would make it a better reading device. That isn't to say there wouldn't have to be concessions, but my point is that there is room for improvement.

To wit: The Kindle uses its own fonts and pagination rules to display text. It treats books as if they're just collections of words organized into chapters, as opposed to completed works of literary art. And while I won't argue that for some books this distinction isn't negligible, for many works this proves to be a definite hindrance.

Your standard fiction novel might not notice the difference, but what about works with illustrations? Or photographs? Or just plain graphs? Or visual embellishments such as historiated initials? The Kindle is very good at reproducing a very limited set of books. I believe the Tablet will excel at reproducing all types of written material.

Be they newspapers, magazines, novels, children's books, textbooks or any other type of book, the Tablet will make them all look stunningly gorgeous. It will faithfully reproduce these works in the ways the authors and publishers intended as much as possible with typesetting and font support. It will maintain page number parity with their printed counterparts. It will feel like you have a digitized version of the book rather than a digitized version of the words.

Another area in which the Kindle excels is its ability to obtain new books. But I believe that Apple will at least draw even on this if not excel here too. The App Store is a huge success and it would not be a stretch to imagine a similar store (or storefront) for acquiring books.

As the e-reader playing field continues to expand, the Kindle (as it stands today) will be seen as a one-trick pony. If all you read is books with text, and you read them for hours on end and always have ample lighting, then today's Kindle will remain an excellent, if not superior choice. Yes I know the Kindle has free "internet" but even Kindle users will tell you it's not a feature worth mentioning.

But I think the e-reader market is going to explode. People will want to read more than just text; they'll want to read magazines with beautiful pictures, they'll want to read textbooks with graphs and illustrations, they'll want to read journals with all of the above.

And if you think the Tablet won't also be great for watching and acquiring video and music as well as web surfing, email, and gaming, then you obviously haven't been following Apple lately.

It's certainly true that the Tablet will have more features than the Kindle, and that it will play in areas the Kindle would rather remain a spectator. And in those areas I think it will be just outstanding. But I still believe that when it's all announced, the Tablet will also be a better e-reader than the Kindle, at least by most standards.

But if your standards begin and end with perfect readability of text (not images or graphics) in bright light, unconscionable battery life (like a week in a rowboat), and the ability to operate it in a Ziploc in the bath, then the Kindle probably will continue to be the better e-reader for you.

It will be interesting to see what the Kindle 3 looks like as it will no doubt debut as a response to whatever Apple unveils. Will Amazon continue riding their pony, or will they switch to a different horse?

* Which, by the way would be a pretty cool name.