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Reading on the ipad

H

hodgey1989

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 22, 2008
41
0
Im seriously thinking about getting an ipad. Id say i would use it 70% of the time for reading books, magazines, newspapers ect. So my question is, is it easy reading on the ipad or do people find it difficult and a strain on the eyes?

I did a bit of a search and couldn't find much on here so any help is much appreciated :)
 
Its good: i read my newspaper, books and certain mags on my ipad esp at home. Use logmein and you don't need your laptop/pc. But not in the sun as it has a terrible reflexion
 
I bought my iPad primarily to read books on it and so far it is working great. Turn down the brightness and i've had no problems at all with eye strain. I usually read for something around 3-4 hours a stretch. The only place were i can't read is in direct sunlight, as in it shines directly on the screen.
 
I read exclusively on the iPad. No eye strain at all. Most of us spend our days staring at computer screens anyway so it shouldn't be an issue.
 
Blomma if your reading in 3-4 hours stretches then im sure ill be fine. I dont really have the time to be reading that long :).

So, that was the last question i had, guess ill be getting myself one at the weekend :).

Thanks for the replies!
 
Other than reading outside, it's very good. For reading outside, the Kindle is the king. As far as eye strain, I, like others have said don't find this to be a problem. If you have any problems, you can adjust many things like fonts, brightness, and background color. So, you shouldn't have a problem.
 
Enjoy your iPad! I've read 45 novels on it since April, along with countless forum and blog posts and many articles.
 
I guess everyone's different, but in my experience the iPad is a great reading device. I considered getting a Kindle at first as I read a lot, but decided to go for the iPad. I could not be happier. As others replying to this thread I've read numerous books on the iPad and will read many more.
 
Yeah i was considering the Kindle as well. I think from what people have said here ill be going for the ipad as ill definitely make use of all the other features aswell.

45 novels, ive not read that many in my lifetime!
 
I don't notice any strain in low light situations. Out of box, I had a difficult time reading on it because even using regular indoor lighting, the reflections were terrible. After putting on an anti-glare screen protector, it is a lot more usable. It is perfect for indoor reading...Even with the screen protector on, it is still kind of difficult to read from outdoors but it is still doable if you can find a covered/shady spot.
 
I think it's a great device for reading on, but with any LCD screen, you need to be wary and take breaks after reasonable lengths on it as it may hurt your eyes just like staring at a monitor will do.
 
It sounds like the OP has made his/her decision, but there are other threads that come down on the side of Kindle for reading, and not just in bright light. Those threads may not be on an Apple fan site, though.
 
hodgey1989 said:
Yeah i was considering the Kindle as well. I think from what people have said here ill be going for the ipad as ill definitely make use of all the other features aswell.

45 novels, ive not read that many in my lifetime!
Click to expand...

I don't see magazines being very fun to read on a kindle.
 
I've been reading books and the WSJ on my iPad. I also have an iPod Touch and love to be able to sync books between the two.

I've always been a big reader, but I bet that my reading has increased at least 50% since the reading apps came out for the two devices.
 
ScrewTheDaisies said:
Enjoy your iPad! I've read 45 novels on it since April, along with countless forum and blog posts and many articles.
Click to expand...

Wow! and I thought I read a lot! I average about 4 novels per month, but 9! Wow Again

I love it for reading. the subscriptions WSJ, Zino stuff Rss readers for news are handled very well with the Ipad and brightness does not seem to be an issue.

I came from a kindle, and still use the Kindle reader for Ipad for most of my novels. If it were only as light as a kindle:D
G
 
I can't read books on the iPad. I love the iBooks apllication but the screen is too low resolution for me. Also I would never bring my iPad to the beach and the glare while outside makes reading very difficult.

I think a kindle with an iPad is an ideal combo!
 
georgee2face said:
Wow! and I thought I read a lot! I average about 4 novels per month, but 9! Wow Again
Click to expand...

It's a record for me for sure. I came from the Kindle, too. I read 10 books on it in the six months I had it, and 10 print books during that same period, which brought me a lot closer to 3-4 books/month than 9.

I would say that, before the iPad, 3-4 books/month was much more the norm for me as well. The iPad's just been a really great reading experience. It may be big and heavy with a shiny LCD screen, but for me it completely disappears from my notice while I'm reading.

Eyestrain, schmyestrain. I can comfortably read most of a day on the iPad if the story's engrossing enough.
 
I'm retired and read a great deal. I purchased my iPad for the Internet, but I have found that I now do all of my reading on my iPad--often for an hour or more at a time. It's great. I especially like the kindle app because I can turn down the brightness, increase the font size, and select a gray background. Also, the kindle site has a lot of very good free and cheap books, many of which are recently published. For example, I just started a book that cost 99 cents.
 
I can read for hours at a time on mine, even when my eyes are acting up. I cannot read a paper book outside in direct light without sunglasses so it is no problem for me to simply wear sunglasses when I read in sunlight with the iPad to avoid the glare issues. The only issue I have is making sure the iPad doesn't overheat.

The books I prefer weigh way more than the iPad does. Much more comfortable to hold my iPad and read through the night than a giant hardcover. I do prefer the iBooks app to the other readers. A lot easier to share my books from there as well.
 
Another vote for Ipad + Kindle. I use my ipad constantly, mostly as a notetaking and PDA device, but I do read on it sometimes (my own book is on iBooks). However, it's heavy by comparison to the Kindle, and big. The Kindle is lightweight and small, with that sharp screen, so I do my serious reading on it.

Anecdotally, I see 3 or 4 Kindles in the subway every trip, now, so it's really gone mainstream. All sorts of people are using it, and now that it's affordable (relatively) Kindles will become very common. My book's on Kindle too!:cool:
 
Between my iPad and my Touch, I've read about two dozen books since April 3rd but only one "real" book, a paperback.

I bought the third Stieg Larsson book in hardback for my wife and I to read but I was so used to reading on the iPad that I downloaded the book after the first chapter or so. :)
 
The Kindle is a better reader, but for me the iPad is no issue. I have lots of content and aside from some books I can't get, it's been great.
 
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