Kindle vs. iPad vs. Weimaraner
Jan 29, 2010 In Web Culture By Nishant KotharyThe iPad's true contender isn't the Kindle or the netbook as the pundits would have you believe. It's the Weimaraner
As I suspected, my RSS reader was flooded with the inevitable “Kindle vs. iPad: Which one will triumph?” posts yesterday. I read a handful of posts from the usual suspects like CNET, Mashable, and even the NY Times, and I’m done. Journalism may be dead, but in the last 24 hours we’ve demonstrated that we’re going to assassinate its apparent savior—blogging—using the same militaristic tactics.
It’s a nice molotov cocktail: a couple shots of “Relativity” (a concept from Predictably Irrational‘s first chapter, which holds that humans are deeply evolutionarily wired such that they can’t evaluate the world without making comparisons) and a couple shots of deliberate controversy, all topped off with a blatant attempt to squeeze juice out of ad revenue on web sites.
I’m sure there’s a decent article or two out there about the Kindle vs. iPad question, but I’m just too cranky to sift through the shrapnel to find them at the moment.
But hey. If we’re going to compare an iPad to a Kindle, I think it’s completely fair to compare it with the most magical dog breed of all: the Weimaraner. Heck, let’s do a quick analysis right now. Right here. It’s so on.
The $64,000 question: Will the iPad obliterate adoption of this perfectly engineered breed of canine?
The Weimaraner—lovingly referred to as the “velcro-dog”—is a very trusty and dependable companion. Its UI is characterized by a sleek frame,covered with a fast-drying,microfiber-like, eco-friendly coat. Its gait is graceful and awe-inspiring, and it has communicative eyes that people get lost in. It responds not only to voice-commands, but can be easily trained to read hand gestures and even facial expressions! Basically, its technology is beyond our imagination. And, battery life? Psshtt! Unlimited. If it ever gets low (and that’s a big IF), it takes nothing more than a 15 min nap to fully recharge.
But. Will this marvelous product, borne of decades of meticulous German engineering, survive Apple’s magical new iPad? Let’s analyze this.
First of all, the iPad’s UI is just as sexy as the Weimaraner’s, if not more. Heck, the bookshelf spins around to reveal an entire store of books, for crying out loud! Can the Weimaraner do that? Didn’t think so. And the iPad weighs a mere 1.5lbs. What about the Weimaraner? 80 lbs? Fatty! Can’t carry that in my messenger bag, can I? I can change the orientation of the iPad and it adapts perfectly. But turn the Weimaraner upside-down and you get a perfectly useless, goofy-looking, bat-like creature with a mirror-shattering grin (see actual screenshot, below). Endearing, but it doesn’t help me send email now, does it?
No email. No music. No apps. WTF, Weimaraner? And let’s be honest: while I can’t really cuddle its sleek, hard chasis, the iPad doesn’t shed or have “that dog smell”.
Having said that, the Weimaraner is definitely a perfect companion—something the iPad will never be. So, while some of us will buy iPads, let’s not write off the Weimaraner just yet.
Now that I think of it, maybe the iPad will actually encourage adoption of Weimaraners! Insert two shots of controversial speculation. (Thank you for visiting. Please deposit your comments below. [Mission accomplished])
*Rolling eyes for dramatic effect*
The point is this: You can’t compare the Kindle and the iPad! Period. Yes, they share some features (3G, ebook reading experience, etc.). They are both “tablets”. They both allow you to read ebooks. They let you listen to music.
But they are in entirely different categories.
The Kindle’s attempt to be a multi-purpose everyday tablet—let’s be honest, the Kindle did attempt to be more than just a Trojan horse for eBooks despite what some pundits seem to forgivingly suggest—is obviously and entirely half-baked. Our failure to see this clearly is driven by our love for the trusty Amazon brand; it’s the same reason that even well-respected UX professionals insist that Amazon sets the bar for e-commerce user experiences. Complete madness. Anyhow, I digress.
Bottom line: The iPad is a well thought-out end-to-end experience for consuming all types of media. The Kindle is a niche device optimized for reading certain types of books. They are different.
A fair comparison between the two companies and their core businesses, if there is in fact one, is between the iPad and Amazon.com itself. And there, one could argue that Apple has a position that grows stronger everyday despite its currently weaker areas, namely, pricing and selection of content. If history repeats itself, then prices for content will normalize and both companies will carry a similar repertoire eventually. This leaves only one differentiator: experience. But I better stop now for I’m starting to delve into punditry here.
I suppose I should cut the pundits some slack for putting iPads and Kindles into the same bucket (and by extension, myself for adding Weimaraners to the mix). After all, some of us will continue to buy Kindles, much like some of us will continue to seek the companionship of Weimaraners. But my hunch is that by Christmas many, many of us will buy an iPad despite its trivial and inconsequential shortcomings that the punditry and naysayers are currently echoing. Why? Because it respectably and pragmatically brings to life a category of devices that we’ve hungrily imagined for decades.
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Yoshi FTW :)
The one big Weimaraner advantage over iPads and Kindles, you neglected to mention: lifespan.
@fjpoblam - *slaps own head* I don''t believe I missed such an obvious one. Harsh reminder that I don''t have what it takes to be a pundit, I s''pose. I''m going to go cuddle with my Weimaraner now.
Rock on hilarious article and point well taken. I will go cuddle with my two weimys that insist on being under covers.
One major advantage to the ipad, it won''t steal your sandwich while you are reading your kindle.
???
I can''t seem to train my iPad to fetch my shoes.
Thanks for the great article, Nishant! :D
Okay, I blew coffee out my nose while reading this. Thankfully it wasn''t scolding hot.
Thanks for reviving the product comparisons with a submission from a very different product category.
Very reminiscent of the Oct 18, 1982 article in the New Yorker: "The KL-1000 weighs less than one ounce, is no larger than a domestic olive, yet performs all the photographic, dataprocessing, and information-retrieving functions you yourself do -- automatically. The KL-1000 takes photographs (flashing SAY CHEESE and STOP MOVING AROUND on its unique L.E.D. monitor screen)...
Read more (requires subscription): http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1982/10/18/1982_10_18_049_TNY_CARDS_000333417#ixzz0eJTTmOnQ
@Scarrsick - Or your spot on the couch. Damn thieves.
@Nick - Possibly not the best comparison. My Weim never fetches shoes intact. Only a part of it arrives when I select that operation. :-)
@Kevin - Ah, now if you had a Weim, it''d lick up that coffee. Unlike iPads, Weims clean.
@Nancy - That''s awesome! My wife subscribes, so I should be able to read more tonight once I get her to register online. I think "this":http://www.csd.uwo.ca/~magi/personal/humour/Computer_Audience/Product%20Announcement:%20KL-1000.html may be the same thing?
Lol:
_ In the morning, enjoy your own original compositions of up to twelve accordion-like notes in real music, "the international language." The KL-1000 will record and transcribe these melodies automatically, then engrave the notes onto an attractive brass pendant, which it will offer for sale to friends and strangers. _
Heeeeelarious comparison, now I want an iPad AND a Weim :)
I will just stick with my weimaraners thank you!
http://www.squidoo.com/amazon-kindle-vs-apple-ipad
I''m offended by the graphic imagery in this blog post. Absolutely horrifying.
My favorite thing that my Weim does is "vacuum!" Comes running all the way from the neighbor''s to clean up anything!
Now if the iPad would just run cs2 or 3, then maybe we''d have a conversation...
@Mikki - When someone mentioned CS on iPad yesterday to me, I couldn''t quite picture myself using it. Though, I''ve thought about it some more and have really warmed up to the idea. Gestures + Stylus FTW. Though, best not to fantasize about it given the ongoing Adobe-Apple bickering :-)
HAHAHA!! You are too funny Nishant- I love it :)
Nice to see some humor put into a review!
Still trying to understand why there are so many reviews comparing the Kindle and the iPad. The only "official" purpose of the kindle is digital reading.
Its similar to comparing a full fledged oven (ipad) to a toaster oven (kindle). The toaster oven can make great toast, and gives you the ability to do a few other things. But it was never intended to replace the oven all together. So why the comparisons? Because they share one feature? No one is going to buy an oven to make toast, and no one is going to be a toaster to make casserole. Different markets, didn''t intended uses.
Not hating on the review, just something that has been bothering me since the ipad vs kindle debate has started.
I loved this write up , Nish !! Keep it up !
Forget the iPad and Kindle. I''m thinking that we need a Weimaraner vs. Vizsla comparison. I''m partial to the Vizsla mainly because it has all the features of the Wimey but in a smaller package.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vizsla
Check out:
http://www.squidoo.com/amazon-kindle-vs-apple-ipad
Nishant had me rolling on the floor like a Weimar. It''s been 3 years since my 15+ yr old Weimar passed, and today I feel faced with a very real conundrum: do I get a new Weim puppy or an iPad? Both will be addictive and take a lot of time. Both will get a lot of attention wherever I go. Both cost about the same upfront, but the Weimar will probably have a higher cost of ownership, but a better ROI due to it''s likely much longer life. Hmmm...guess I''ll get both and hope the Weimar doesn''t get jealous of the iPad; even a mil-spec iPad case cannot stand up to the wrath of a Weimar.
This is neat, loved the article. It sure is a different comparison and is pretty refreshing.
this is a very good article, thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge
While I''m a huge fan of the iPad, I''m going to have to go for the Weimaraner on this one!
http://hubpages.com/hub/Kindle-vs-iPad-Which-One-Should-You-Buy
Awesome! Considering I have 3 weims (yes, I''m truly an idiot!) to cuddle with and a Droid, I have absolutly no use for a Kindle or iPad. Besides, one of the weims would just eat them!
Never knew what ipad and kindle were but I''ll take the Weimaraners for entertainment anytime.
''The one big Weimaraner advantage over iPads and Kindles, you neglected to mention: lifespan''
You neglected to mention the one major disadvantage of the Weimaraner: Exhaust fumes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a lovely blog, I am of course, very biased in favour of the weimaraner. However, I do not see these highly desirable animals and delicious IT items as mutually exclusive. I have 2 weims, I have an Iphone and want another weim and an Ipad. My only question here is do they do the Ipad in weim grey and if so is it waterproof as both of mine drool. If you visit our site you will see the difficulty also in getting the weims to wear reading glasses for close legal work :)
I have an ipad and 3 Weimaraners...it doesn''t matter how many new gadgets I may get....the 3 Weims win! :)
iPad is really for savvy pc lovers. Kindle is for those fanatic ebook readers. And as for the Weimaraner, it is surely a cuddling companion for dog lovers. That''s was the funny comparsion between the three.
Certainly this is a cool and entertaining comparsion between ipad vs kindle vs Weimaraner. I enjoyed it very much and get to know this german dog closer.
For usual tech comparsion, there is one at http://hubpages.com/hub/Kindle-Vs-iPad
Just came across this interesting website while browsing for ipad vs kindle sites. Didnt know the Weimaraner can be also a good companion to have.
This article is cool.
I will choose kindle and of course the weimar as well. Two will serve as a very good companion. :)
Quite a special and interesting comparsion. I will want the Weimaraner to move in together in my new property.
One Weimar + one iPad will certainly make a good companion at home. But it only make sense to bring ipad outside home.
i personally prefer ipad case this is nice article.
case is the best way to save our ipad from dust, water or etc.,.,.
I will still prefer ipad than Weimaraner because the latter can just keep my interest for a short while. :)
I absolutely love my weim, but you just made me love him more. The only thing: you wont come home to a house of broken Christmas decorations with pillow fluff floating in the air with an iPad.
I absolutely love my weim, but you just made me love him more. The only thing: you wont come home to a house of broken Christmas decorations with pillow fluff floating in the air with an iPad.