And What About Apple

The recent buzz I hear is that Apple is planning to launch something that will be a serious competitor to Amazon's Kindle. Those of you who have been following me for a while will know that I've been planning on getting a Kindle for some time now. My goal of saving up the dough to do so is at hand.

But, the rumors say that Apple's device will "kill" the Kindle. Ok, that's all well and good. But what I want in an ebook reader is variety in content, super affordable content, ease of getting that content, and then, of course, the details of the device in ease of use, comfort, portability, all that jazz. Kindle has it. Apple, what say you?

Now, bear in mind, it took me many many years to own an iPod and I only have a Shuffle. I went with a Dell mp3 player because, at the time, it offered 5 times the GB for the same cost as the early iPods. No brainer! I still have and use that mp3 player from Dell, far more frequently than my iPod Shuffle (PS I have never made a purchase through iTunes).

I do not own any kind of Apple computer and I have no desire to own an iPhone that has far more bells and whistles than I would ever use on a cell phone. I've heard that Apple's Kindle competitor will actually be a tablet computer (still, all rumors), not just an ebook reader. Sure, many people like things that can do many different things, just ask Alton Brown, but I don't need another computer (we're not even going to talk about that brief period in November where I nearly bought yet another laptop). What is the point of buying a multi-function device if you only need it for one thing anyway?

I've researched other ebook readers. The problem with the Nook is that it can't play audio files from audible.com (Apple's device likely will, this is one of the reasons why I want a device like this in the first place). The problem with the Cool*er is that the books are crazy expensive compared to Amazon's prices. None of the other readers on the market have Amazon's text-to-speech feature, which goes along with why I want something to play my audio books.

It almost sounds like I'm talking myself out of waiting to see what Apple is doing, doesn't it? But, there's another side to that. If I wait for Apple to launch whatever Apple is launching, is there a possibility that the Kindle will come down in price as a response to it? What will Apple's price be anyway? Will it even compare?

I need to know! But, I want my gadget now!