On Christmas Day 2009, Amazon customers bought more Kindle E-Books than regular books. The company also claims the Kindle is the most gifted item in Amazon’s history. These two facts were part of the online retailer’s recently announced holiday sales activity. This comes as a surprise for me considering the enormous hype surrounding the upcoming Apple Tablet. Considering the restrictions of the Amazon Kindle, I figured that most smart consumers would hold off on the Kindle until January when Apple announces its own Tablet that is predicted to be revolutionary E-Book reader mixed with a tablet computer device.


The entire draw of the Apple iPad is that it can be a media device — not a medium device. When the Apple Tablet debuts it will have multimedia capabilities. It will play movies and music, have eReader capability, internet, photo browsing, etc.. Don’t fool yourself into believing that it will simply be a“subject a” device. It will do more and it will cost more than any of those dedicated devices.

The Amazon Kindle, on the other hand, can just read E-Books. According to the Economist, over 90% of existing e-readers use a display technology called E Ink, made by a firm of the same name that was spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1997. E Ink is based upon tiny capsules filled with positively charged white particles and negatively charged black ones, suspended in a clear liquid. Transparent electrodes above and below the layer of microcapsules create electric fields that, depending on their polarity, push either the black or the white particles to the surface in a particular region of the display. It is easy on the eye, does not need to be back-lit, can be read easily in bright sunlight, and requires very little battery power. (The image on the display remains in place, even when no power is applied, and energy is only expended when changing it.) There is clearly room for improvement, however. E Ink displays are relatively slow to update, which can irritate readers as they turn their digital pages. They cannot display color images or video, unlike the liquid-crystal display (LCD) technology used in mobile phones and laptops.

With such limitations, I wonder why the Kindle is still selling in large numbers. I admit that the Kindle is a revolutionary device in its own right. When it premiered in 2007, it was surely revolutionary. The “book in your pocket” technology was amazing. However, three years later, it now seems to be aging technology that needs reform.

That’s where the Apple Tablet comes into play. It won’t be the 10-inch touch-screen display that drives adoption of Apple’s rumored tablet computer, but rather the availability of apps for the device, according to one industry analyst.

Gene Munster, senior research analyst at Piper Jaffray, said in a research note to clients on Monday that initial tablet successes will come from the confidence consumers have with Apple’s mobile platform. It is widely expected that Apple will use an iPhone-like operating system on the tablet, enabling consumers to utilize existing apps.

Recent media reports that Apple is asking developers for super-sized versions of their apps is helping to fuel speculation that existing apps will work on the tablet.

An interesting tidbit of information in Munster’s research note is that he expects Apple’s tablet to compete well in the netbook category. While the Netbook focuses on its portability, Munster sees the tablet focusing “more on apps, entertainment content (from the iTunes Store), and Web surfing.” So, combining all the rumors, the Apple Tablet will be an iPhone-like technology mixed with a Kindle and a netbook capable of not only reading E-Books but also storing Apps, Music and Movies. So, if I were you, I’d hold off on your Kindle purchase and wait for the future of E-Book readers, the Apple Tablet.

(aux) says: If the Apple Tablet lives up to its hype, it will surely be an Amazon Kindle. Wait for it.