Not for all.
1) Reading for me involves access to a browser and typing on a kindle is deeply unpleasant.
2) Reading in the dark requires a light and the attachments for the kindle have all seemed a kludge to me. That said, the iPad is imperfect here are the screen doesn't dim enough.
I think a better way to phrase it would be "Kindles are clearly a superior device for reading [novels and similar material] than iPads."
An iPad obviously is better for things like glossy magazines, graphic heavy books/PDFs, etc. However as a replacement to my "books" then the Kindle wins over the iPad.
Also the Kindle Paperwhite (and Kobo Glo, etc) are pretty great for low light reading. I agree the old lights were a bit annoying although the Amazon leather lighted case has always been pretty decent to be fair.
> Kindles are clearly a superior device for reading [novels and similar material] than iPads.
For you perhaps; I prefer reading on an iPad. It doesn't bother my eyes, and it doesn't make it difficult to sleep. Maybe the fact that I don't typically read outside makes some difference here.
The Paperwhite really is a fantastic reading device: the e-ink works perfectly under sunlight and the backlight works perfectly in the dark. The only thing I don't like about it is the touchscreen interface can be rather clunky/slow to use.
Also, I can't help but feel that e-ink and LCD displays are going to converge in the not-too-distant future, and at that point there won't be much reason to buy a Kindle over an iPad anymore.
If you jailbreak, there's f.lux which greatly helps and there's another tweak which makes the lowest brightness even lower. It's a great combo and changed the game for night-reading on the iPad for me.
Thank you - I'll investigate. I've only ever got funny looks when I say 'how far can you dim it' to people with devices I might want to use in the dark.
2) Reading in the dark requires a light and the attachments for the kindle have all seemed a kludge to me. That said, the iPad is imperfect here are the screen doesn't dim enough.