Five Reasons Why The iPad Will Not Kill The Kindle

The Kindle was the only competitor product that appeared in the presentation yesterday at Apple's iPad launch event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco which shows clearly what segment the iPad was originally targeted at.

Even before the launch of the iPad, many were questioning whether Kindle would die of a painful death after the launch and the expected success of the iPad. Chances are though that this won't happen, in the short term, for a number of reasons.

(1) Price

Apple pitted the iPad squarely against the Kindle DX as the pricing shows ($489 vs $499) but it is ignoring the other, more popular but smaller version of the Kindle, the 6-inch one which costs only $259. Granted it comes with a smaller display but it has a proper keyboard and is barely larger than a paperback book. 

(2) Battery life

Both Kindle eBook readers can last up to a week on a single charge with wireless on and up to 14 days if WiFi is switched off. Now that's enough a return direct flight to Mauritius (24 hours), something that the iPad would even manage to sustain without a couple of quick charges.

(3) Book Choice

When Steve Jobs came on the scene for the iPad launch, he did mention that five of the biggest publishers had been signed but failed to give any details about how many of them will there be at launch.