iPad Pro 11” Nanotexture Pro is the ultimate e-reader

[TechnoMonk]

I think for $1700 (not even with cellular at this price…), it’s still not different enough after all that time.

The nano texture could easily be included on the lower end models and Apple could just keep the manufacturing date as 3+ months out in delivery wait time, so only those truly willing to wait could get it. They didn’t have to keep it to the 1TB models only. That’s Tim Apple’s doing…

The good amount of ram is also once again locked behind the expensive tier. Again, a greedy choice. Why couldn’t we even pay to up it in the 256gb model if we wanted??

Pencil Pro is great but it works with the Air too, and likely the upcoming mini, so it doesn’t count as a plus for the Pro.

Bezels look still huge on the 11” for the price.

Still stuck behind clumsy iPadOS (if iPadOS 18 changes this remains to be seen… and will the M4 get any unique features or nah?)

I tried the $329 2022 iPad vs the 11” Pro but the sad thing was, the 2022 iPad felt like a far, far better value despite the much worse everything, because it’s just too stupid expensive to get the nano iPad 11” the way Timmy set up the pricing.

These are the reasons it doesn’t feel worth the upgrade.

In the end, I still returned even the regular iPad, it didn’t feel worth the $329.

With the back to school promo coming, that might just be the time for me to finally stop returning iPads, as I’ll try to pickup a base model iPad (yes I’ll deal with 64gb, whatever, at this point I just want a cheap sidecar device) with an included Apple gift card or something.

Disappointing.

RAM isn’t a big deal in iPad, iPad OS restricts apps to 5 GB, I hope Apple removes that in future upgrades. Unless you have custom test beds running on iPad Pro, 8 GB or 16 GB won’t make much difference. One use case is uploading high res videos of few hundreds of gigs. Cache may help out.

 

[sleeptodream]

I’d love this to—they never will, it conflicts with their iPad aspirations, though I agree it would be great.

Even if it was on par with like the Air, not necessarily the Pro, an old M series chip, maybe underclocked a bit like the current one is.

It’s so close to perfect but the screen just needs to be a tad bigger so the touch points aren’t so small on iPadOS.

Or I mean they could just fix the UI scaling issue, but it seems like at this point they never will

 

[msackey]

That's great to hear! I am now very curious about that nano texture screen. I do use my iPad primarily has an e-reading device, then secondarily for journaling and notetaking.

 

[rkuo]

Of course there is "more to e-readers than just having matte displays." IMO the point here is matte versus non-matte, unless you opine that the iPad Pro is sub par in some other parameter (e.g. size) that you consider important to e-readers. If so please advise.

I feel like this can be googled anywhere and most of this has been stated elsewhere in the thread, but:

Single purpose no distraction device, dedicated form factor (aka paperbook sized models, dedicated page turn buttons), months long battery life, outdoor readability, relatively inexpensive (thus requires less babying).

 

[richpjr]

I feel like this can be googled anywhere and most of this has been stated elsewhere in the thread, but:

Single purpose no distraction device, dedicated form factor (aka paperbook sized models, dedicated page turn buttons), months long battery life, outdoor readability, relatively inexpensive (thus requires less babying).

I'll add easier on the eyes and less blue light so less likely to disrupt sleep if you read before bed.

 

[miked112]

Give the iPad mini an equivalent display and it blows the 11" out of the water in most, if not all, use cases mentioned.

A nano Mini would be a great e-book reader but is too small for me with comics and magazines - I’m one of the few people who actually reads magazines on Apple News+ lol.

 

[miked112]

Not very helpful with gimped iPadOS now is it?

iPad OS may be gimped for productivity but it’s excellent for this use case - especially when compared to Kindle and Android tablets.

 

[miked112]

I feel like this can be googled anywhere and most of this has been stated elsewhere in the thread, but:

Single purpose no distraction device, dedicated form factor (aka paperbook sized models, dedicated page turn buttons), months long battery life, outdoor readability, relatively inexpensive (thus requires less babying).

I configured my iPad to minimize distraction. Only a few content consumption apps, no messaging, email or social apps, all notifications disabled, Stage Manager turned off. Agree that battery life and cost are the biggest downsides, especially since you need to spring for the 1TB to get Nano.

 

[ignatius345]

relatively inexpensive (thus requires less babying).

Love this "feature". I could leave my water resistant Kobo on a train tomorrow and I'd be bummed, but I could also replace it for all of $150 if I got a brand new one, or probably under $100 if I just grabbed one off eBay. That also means I can just jam it casually into the beach bag and not give a crap when sunscreen, beer and sand get on it. You try any of that with an iPad that costs one thousand dollars and you're gonna be all stressed about it the whole time (not to mention that the iPad is going to perform like absolute **** in the sun).

 

[masotime]

You try any of that with an iPad that costs one thousand dollars and you're gonna be all stressed about it

iPad Miniiiiiiiiiii ($400)

EDIT: $300???? No stress purchase at all!

 

[ignatius345]

iPad Miniiiiiiiiiii ($400)

3-4x as expensive, glass screen, a fraction of the battery life and absolute garbage to read in the sun. Truly, the hardest of passes for me.

I have an iPad Mini sitting right here, but it works like **** for the use case I described so I use it for other things and offload long-form reading to an inexpensive and durable device specifically designed for that.

 

[Nikhil72]

I do love the nanotexture for reading in the sun. I also love my Kindle paperwhite signature for ebook reading, especially in areas of higher risk of damage to the much more costly iPad. The kindle is much more throwaway for me, plus less temptation to get distracted. That being said, the lack of easy access to longform articles, newspapers, magazines, internet based writing, and other non-book based reading tasks is a huge kindle detriment since those also make up my reading habits. Not to mention the interface has always been hot garbage.

 

[kc9hzn]

Nothing will beat an e-ink display for purely reading; even decade old e-ink tech is better for that than cutting edge display tech of any other type. The fundamental display technology is just so different and that really, well, makes a difference.

That said, other display types have improved a lot, and it’s good to hear that the nano-texture display also improves on that. Very useful for reading where interacting with the screen is also important (e.g. notes, short-form content from different sources, etc).

Edit: I can see why it appeals to you as a general purpose device display for frequent use outdoors though; it might not equal e-ink for literally just reading, but mixed with all your other uses I can see it looking very appealing.

E-Ink is good for reading (I use a Boox Nova Air C for that sort of thing, I get to avoid the ebook vendor lock-in that comes from using Kindles, and it’s cheaper and more useful than Amazon’s high end Kindles). Not so good for other content categories. Color e-ink is limited to 4096 colors, it has a lower color resolution than black-and-white resolution, and it doesn’t have fast enough refresh rates (even with ghosting) to be useful for video. If this tablet wasn’t so useful for both notetaking and reading, I probably wouldn’t bother with having an e-ink tablet. And iPads generally have better displays than their major competition (maybe the Surface Pro competes, but it doesn’t really compete for content consumption).

 

[ignatius345]

That being said, the lack of easy access to longform articles, newspapers, magazines, internet based writing, and other non-book based reading tasks is a huge kindle detriment since those also make up my reading habits. Not to mention the interface has always been hot garbage.

You're probably pretty invested in the Amazon ecosystem if you have a Kindle, BUT, the Kobo has really amazing integration with the Pocket "read later" service.

So essentially when I see an article I'd like to read later I just use the Pocket browser extension on my Mac or iPhone, and the moment I sync my Kobo the articles are all* there. The reader even syncs back to the server to mark stories read or archived.

This is actually like 80% of my usage. The rest is books I either buy or borrow from the library. (Oh, it also does direct USB transfer to storage so you can side-load .epub files and PDFs)

* A few sites and stories misfire and get weird formatting, but I'd say it's like 95% perfect for the stories I save.

 

[kc9hzn]

You're probably pretty invested in the Amazon ecosystem if you have a Kindle, BUT, the Kobo has really amazing integration with the Pocket "read later" service.

So essentially when I see an article I'd like to read later I just use the Pocket browser extension on my Mac or iPhone, and the moment I sync my Kobo the articles are all* there. The reader even syncs back to the server to mark stories read or archived.

This is actually like 80% of my usage. The rest is books I either buy or borrow from the library. (Oh, it also does direct USB transfer to storage so you can side-load .epub files and PDFs)

* A few sites and stories misfire and get weird formatting, but I'd say it's like 95% perfect for the stories I save.

I’d use (or rather, I do use) an Android based e-ink reader for that. I do have a Kindle and some investment in Amazon ebooks, but that’s covered thanks to Amazon having a Kindle app on Android. Of course, Pocket is covered, too. And you can check out material from your local library using the Overdrive app, read niche material via specialty services (like manga, Go, or religious works), or even DRM-free epub and PDF files via dedicated apps. Plus, if you are religious, I guarantee you that, for an example, an Android Bible app is going to be easier to navigate to find a specific chapter and verse than any version of the Bible available as an ebook on any ebook vendor’s platform. Great way of avoiding vendor lock-in, with quite a few other benefits (and you can still take advantage of the investments you’ve made in any particular reading ecosystem*).

* Well, with the possible exception of Apple Books exclusive content.

 

[ignatius345]

I’d use (or rather, I do use) an Android based e-ink reader for that. I do have a Kindle and some investment in Amazon ebooks, but that’s covered thanks to Amazon having a Kindle app on Android. Of course, Pocket is covered, too. And you can check out material from your local library using the Overdrive app, read niche material via specialty services (like manga, Go, or religious works), or even DRM-free epub and PDF files via dedicated apps. Plus, if you are religious, I guarantee you that, for an example, an Android Bible app is going to be easier to navigate to find a specific chapter and verse than any version of the Bible available as an ebook on any ebook vendor’s platform. Great way of avoiding vendor lock-in, with quite a few other benefits (and you can still take advantage of the investments you’ve made in any particular reading ecosystem*).

* Well, with the possible exception of Apple Books exclusive content.

Yeah, love this idea too. Are you able to connect to a bluetooth keyboard? I am curious about the idea of using an e-ink tablet as a writing tool.

 

[adib]

Would love to see Apple take a stab at making a premium ereader with a beautiful, simple and clean UI. With the newer high refresh rate eink displays I think it could be great

Boox makes these "premium e-readers with higher refresh rate e-ink displays."

 

[sleeptodream]

Boox makes these "premium e-readers with higher refresh rate e-ink displays."

Boox “premium” and Apple “premium” are two different things

I want Apple build quality and UI, I really don’t like Android

I’d pay $400 for an Apple ereader, but not for one running Android

 

[tomtad]

less blue light so less likely to disrupt sleep if you read before bed

This has been proven to be a myth

 

[miked112]

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Again, not personally interested in another android e-reader, but looks interesting for those who are.

 

[richpjr]

This has been proven to be a myth

I have seen a study saying it may not affect sleep cycles, but it is hardly accepted as gospel. Apple obviously thinks it does as they have implemented night shirt.

 

[shadowfrost]

I actually considered eink tablet for a while. I tried the boox note air 2 plus. I love how responsive it is and how comfortable it is in the eyes, but I love zoom in and out function when I write notes, not to mention I love infinite white board, that i can only get with freeform and zoomnotes. I considered m4 ipad pro 11 inch with tempered matte screen protector as a good substitute for my use case and I could not be happier.

 

[The Game 161]

expensive e-reader

 

[kc9hzn]

Yeah, love this idea too. Are you able to connect to a bluetooth keyboard? I am curious about the idea of using an e-ink tablet as a writing tool.

If I remember correctly, it does work (remember, it’s a pretty bog standard Android tablet except for the display technology and the Android launcher it uses). Most of the time, though, I use it for handwritten notes, so I use the stylus far more often than I’d hook up a Bluetooth keyboard.

 

[blinker]

I could agree, but the fact that it's more than twice the weight of my Kindle Paperwhite is the deal breaker for me.