Amazon Kindle Tops All E-Readers

by Michaela O’Donnell ‘13

E-readers have been in existence since 2007, yet teenagers haven’t been eager to get their hands on them. The main reason for this could be that a majority of teens do not read for pleasure outside of school. But today’s youth has been classified as a generation of technology and e-readers are intended to convert old-fashioned books to electronic, portable and attractive devices. As the technology continues to improve and get flashier, e-readers such as the Kindle and the iPad are overcoming teenagers’ suspect reading habits.

The iPad is basically every bit of technology in one portable tablet. There is an MP3 player for music and WiFi to access the Internet. Along with the hundreds of flashy applications available on the Ipad, there is also the application for Kindle e-books. The iPad is a wonderfully organized piece of technology if students want a tablet with all the technology they most likely have already purchased, such as an iPod.

If a student is looking for a device for the specific purpose of electronic reading, then the newest version of the Kindle is the best choice for him. The Kindle has evolved and improved over the years to come to the point where the screen now looks like an actual page of a book as opposed to an electronic screen. Looking at a computer or television screen for long durations of time may be straining on the eyes, but the discovery of “electronic ink” has diminished this frustration. The Kindle is now one-third of an inch thick and weighs 8.5 ounces. For students this would be a luxury compared to the enormous backpacks hauled around all day.

For teens who want all the tech gizmos out there, the costs to buy each device separately would add up and that babysitting money will be gone quickly. If students have no financial set-backs, then the $500 iPad will be an easy purchase. For a typical teenager with no job, this will be close to impossible. The Kindle is a fraction of the price at $139 and a little more convincing to parents. What parent would decline a request from their teenager asking for a device to read? Not too many.

Upperclassmen preparing for college should be interested that Kindles also have college textbooks available to purchase. They are considerably cheaper than a printed textbook and would be easier to carry around. Having a textbook for every class in one device is a smart alternative to buying printed ones that are pounds heavier. Students with a knack for reading could also find that the Kindle is a practical replacement of the dozens of books collecting dust on the book shelf. Having all of your favorites and classics in one place is more convenient than them being neglected on the bookshelf for years. Some could make an argument that printed books are nice to have because they can be borrowed by friends but if you purchase a book on the Kindle, it can be lent out to friends on their Kindle for up to two weeks.

For students who need to buy cheap textbooks for college, cut back on the amount of books on the shelf or just want a new and improved way of reading, the Kindle provides the luxury of reading for a on-the-go multitasking teenagers.