I also use the tablet to time-shift. I’ve long been a fan of the Instapaper Pro app, which allows me to bookmark articles throughout the day and read them on my iPhone during my commute or when I arrive back home. Using Instapaper on the iPad is superior to reading an article on the comparatively cramped iPhone. But again, it’s not that much superior. On the subway, the small screen is actually a bonus—I find the iPad too unwieldy for rush-hour travel, or really any situation where you can’t use either two hands or a hand and a lap.
When it comes to reading books, I prefer my Kindle—its e-ink technology offers a break from the brightly lit screens I stare at all day, it’s light in my hands, and its single purpose means I’m less likely to be distracted by a droll tweet from @pourmecoffee. The Kindle is also economical, and not just because it’s cheaper than an iPad. The money I’ve saved by subscribing to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal on Amazon’s reader has paid for the device and then some. Every time I want to do something on the iPad, by contrast, Steve Jobs has his hand out.
Advertisement
The iPad’s interface also has some serious limitations. Typing on the thing is beastly, rendering the device useful only for consuming, not composing. And there are limits to what you can consume, as I learned when I tried to stream the Jets-Pats playoff game while traveling, only to realize that radio streaming is typically a Flash affair and thus not possible on the iPad. (In retrospect, this native New Englander was grateful to the iPad for failing me that day.)
Join the conversation as a VIP Member