iPad Gaining Ground on Kindle, Dominates as News Reader

Ever since the iPad was launched last January, we’ve wondered about the impact it would have on e-Readers like the Kindle. Would it beat it out for reading news? How about as an e-book reader?

According to the latest numbers, the iPad is quickly gaining ground on the dedicated e-Reader and the "market has essentially become a two horse race."

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Research firm ChangeWave has surveyed nearly 3,000 consumers and found that the iPad has quickly gained ground on the Kindle, with the Kindle dropping from 62% to 47% market share since August. The iPad doubled its market share during the same period.

The survey looks at a number of points, including satisfaction, finding that iPad owners are more satisfied with their device than Kindle owners.

When the iPad was first released, we wrote a story explaining "Why Apple’s iPad Will Beat Out Kindle as a News Reader" and now it looks like that has come to fruition. The survey compared device owners in terms of content and it found that Kindle users stick primarily to books and not much else.

This, of course, is where we see the real distinction between the two devices. The Kindle has the price point and the much sworn-by "e-Ink" technology, but the iPad has the functionality we really desire. Sure, we say we don’t always want to be connected, but then when we read something and we want to share it, do we want to reach for another device? Likely not. The Kindle may hold onto some die-hard e-book fans, but for those of you (like me) who want a device that can play video and offer interaction, tablet devices like the iPad are going to win out.

What do you think? Will you be buying a Kindle or an iPad for the holidays?

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