The e-reader showdown, round one: iPad vs. Kindle

Apple has not hesitated to tout the "runaway success" of the iPad since its launch in April, and with almost 7.5 million sold, why not? So where does this leave that trusty pioneer of e-readers, Amazon's Kindle? When the folks at Jacket Copy asked Amazon to show them their numbers, they received this cryptic response: "For competitive reasons, we don't disclose unit sales figures." Could it be that despite dropping prices and revving up promotions, the Kindle is falling short in the numbers game? If the iPad is outpacing the Kindle, then what does this mean for the future of e-readers?

From the Los Angeles Times:

This is more than just a horse race. Kindle is a device designed for reading ebooks; it has far more new books than Apple's iBookstore. With the latest news of the iPad sales figures, it's clear that millions of people are holding a different, full-color, multimedia e-reader in their hands. Will the potential of the iPad as an e-reader be fully exploited by Apple, and by publishers?