iPad vs. Kindle displays - at 400x magnification

[Tom Diego]

Interesting comparison of the iPad and Kindle dispays - at 400x magnification:

http://www.geek.com/articles/gadgets/comparing-displays-ipad-vs-kindle-at-400x-magnification-20100813/

Make sure you click on the two pictures for a full-size picture.  I had thought that the microcapsules of the e-ink display would appear more orderly, instead of looking like so many pieces of black and white gravel in the second picture.

[Nicolas]

I was about to post that:) The result is interesting. Some comparison of the old and new Kindle display would be also nice, confirming the "50% more crispiness".

[lanfearl]

Love it.

Everyone should carry a printed copy of these pictures in their Kindle cases.


"Why didn't you buy an iPad"

"Here, look at this"

[D. Nathan Hilliard]

That (and the price) is one of the best arguments for a kindle I've seen yet.

[JSRinUK]

The "gravel effect" is kind of how I've seen the eInk described elsewhere.  I guess any improvement for clarity and contrast for newer Kindles is down to making the white crystals whiter and the black crystals blacker. 

[Archer531]

Love it.

Everyone should carry a printed copy of these pictures in their Kindle cases.


"Why didn't you buy an iPad"

"Here, look at this"

I think I am going to do this... and also with the bill for 139 and no tax or shipping. 

[Gerund]

^^ And no $20-a-month wireless bill.

[BTackitt]

Everyone should carry a printed copy of these pictures in their Kindle cases.

"Why didn't you buy an iPad"

"Here, look at this"

I just did that.. actually 3 copies, one for me, one for DS, and one for the librarians who asked about it recently.

[jmiked]

Since I don’t normally read under a 26X or 400X magnifier, the comparison is nonsense. I only care what it looks like at 1X. There is some difference, but not enough to make me choose one over the other for normal reading.


Mike

[Kathy]

It really lets you see the quality of eInk. Really interesting.

[Steven L. Hawk]

Very interesting to see the side-by-side comparison.  Although the difference at 1x may not be that great, I wonder how it affects eye strain?  My eyes get tired after sitting in front of my computer monitor all day (which I do regularly).  I don't really notice any eye strain after a day of reading on my Kindle.

Good article - thanks for sharing.   

Steve

[Logiedan]

The guy who took those photos says that he'll take similar shots of the Kindle 3 when he receives it. I am very interested in seeing the new Pearl e-ink display up close and personal. 

[Sandpiper]

I have a K1 and an iPad.  K3 is on order.  I enjoy reading on my iPad.  (Mainly the weight of it that's a pain.)  I can read on K1, but looking at it background looks so gray.  I'm thinking big improvement on that with K3. 

[nogdog~6op6ou]

Here's the original post from which the subject post got it's photos: http://www.bit-101.com/blog/?p=2722. It includes more photos, plus comparisons with various ink-on-paper sources. (It also has a lot of comments between that Apple Robot Army and the Kindlers whining about what it all means . . . why do I even bother reading blog comments? )

[Italiahaircolor]

As an iPad owner and Kindle owner I can say, without a doubt, the iPad while it may have the ability to be an eReader, isn't an eReader by form or function. 

Truth be told, it's not even in the same universe as Kindle.  And, to be honest, I think it's silly to compare.  It's along the lines of suggesting someone by a Kindle instead of a computer.  Nonsense. 

If you want to read paper-free, get a Kindle...if you want to cruise the internet and occasionally flip thru a magazine, get an iPad.

[jmiked]

As an iPad owner and Kindle owner I can say, without a doubt, the iPad while it may have the ability to be an eReader, isn't an eReader by form or function. 

Truth be told, it's not even in the same universe as Kindle.  And, to be honest, I think it's silly to compare.  It's along the lines of suggesting someone by a Kindle instead of a computer.  Nonsense. 

If you want to read paper-free, get a Kindle...if you want to cruise the internet and occasionally flip thru a magazine, get an iPad.

Our Mileage May Vary. 

Mike

[The Hooded Claw]

I'm with ItaliaHairColor....Saying the iPad is an eReader just as the Kindle is, is like claiming that a Chevy sedan is an off-road vehicle just like a Jeep Wrangler is!

Admittedly, the Chevy sedan is going to be a much better freeway cruiser, kid taxi, and grocery hauler than the Wrangler....Just as the iPad is really good at lots of different things that the Kindle is mediocre or even worse than mediocre at!

Jmiked obviously disagrees!    But as owner of both an iPad and a Kindle, I am firm in my opinion....

[Lyndl]

I also agree with ItaliaHairColor...  I own a Kindle and an iPad... they are two completely different things that just happen to share one or two functions.

[leathco]

Interesting for those who love technology, but I don't see a real-world aspect of 400x magnification on these screens.

The reasons I chose a Kindle over iPad is:  price, free 3g access, ease of reading.

[jmiked]

But as owner of both an iPad and a Kindle, I am firm in my opinion....

Ditto.

Although I’m not firm in my opinion. I don’t hold onto any opinion so firmly that I won’t change it in the face of credible evidence.

Mike

[vermontcathy]

I found this article that shows a kindle and an iPad under a microscope. It's pretty neat.

http://www.bit-101.com/blog/?p=2722

[◄ Jess ►]

I think this might have been posted before, but I can't remember for sure. Anyway, I had no idea it would look like that! So amazing...and such a difference!

[Ann in Arlington]

Yep. . . so I merged these couple posts with the previous thread. . . .it is pretty cool. . . .

[happyblob]

Great stuff. It would be nice to see a LED display, too.

[jason10mm]

Wow, I thought that up close the kindle display would look like a honeycomb, with each cell having a black blob that pops up or down to provide contrast. Seeing the chunkiness of it makes me wonder if they are making the crystals smaller to allow for better color separation to improve contrast, or just improving the colors of the crystals, as previously mentioned.

[Tom Diego]

Wow, I thought that up close the kindle display would look like a honeycomb, with each cell having a black blob that pops up or down to provide contrast. Seeing the chunkiness of it makes me wonder if they are making the crystals smaller to allow for better color separation to improve contrast, or just improving the colors of the crystals, as previously mentioned.

According to E-Ink, the company, each microcapsule is roughly the width of a human hair.  In this explanation http://www.e-ink.com/technology/howitworks.html, they mention that "These microcapsules are suspended in a liquid 'carrier medium' allowing them to be printed using existing screen printing processes onto virtually any surface, including glass, plastic, fabric and even paper."  This probably accounts for the less than perfect arrangement.  Incidentally, I e-mailed them last week and asked how many microcapsules there are in a 6" display.  They haven't yet responded.

[rockstone]

I think I am going to do this... and also with the bill for 139 and no tax or shipping. 

+1

^^ And no $20-a-month wireless bill.

+1000000000000 

My colleague has got am Ipad and keeps dissin the Kindle. Time get this sorted out...

[Scheherazade]

It is definitely a good argument for eInk readers.  Even if we can't notice the difference at whatever magnification we use these devices at, I guarantee the differences are affecting us in some way.  I've always said that besides the obvious things that make reading on an eReader better that the grid on screens like the iPad just won't be able to compete with the kind of smooth text eInk can produce.  Good to see proof of it.

[Archer531]

+1

+1000000000000 

My colleague has got am Ipad and keeps dissin the Kindle. Time get this sorted out...

Tell him to start a book today with you and then ask him how many times in the following month he has to recharge it? Oh, and he just has to keep it in a jacket pocket like your Kindle.

[Ann in Arlington]

My colleague has got am Ipad and keeps dissin the Kindle. Time get this sorted out...

  I so don't get that.  I'd love to have an iPad. . .not ready to spend the money on one, but they are cool -- for all the things they can do that are NOT displaying e-books!   A friend of mine who has a kindle just got one as he had knee replacement surgery and figured it'd be easier to keep up with e-mail and all using the light iPad in his lap rather than his Macbook Pro. . . .he says he likes it at night for reading since it lights itself, but that he figures he'll still use the Kindle for 'carrying around' reading.  He's also a total Macophile so, really, it was inevitable.

[jmiked]

Even if we can't notice the difference at whatever magnification we use these devices at, I guarantee the differences are affecting us in some way.

Based on......?  


Mike