There are a few major differences, though.  The Kindle battery lasts for something like a week of use with the wireless connection ON (Apple claims 10 hrs for iPad).  The other big difference is e-ink; the display works well in bright sunlight, and is easier on the eyes than a backlit LCD at night.<p>The Kindle has proven to be far superior to smartphones and laptops for reading large amounts of text.  The iPad will be more versatile, but i'm not sure that's as important, since laptops and iPhones are already pretty versatile.