Sofa-Friendly iPad Reading Could Eat Into Primetime TV's User Attention

Fast Company website ^ | January 13, 2011 | Kit Eaton

[RayChuang88]

The iPad is changing how folks read stuff online--no surprise if you think how different a gizmo it is to a PC. But a new study shows it's moving online reading into primetime TV hours, which is big news. Is evening reading coming back, just in a digital style?

The study comes from internal data acquired by ReadItLater, a web service that lets users bookmark web content for perusal at a different time. Though you may think this slightly colors the dataset, the way this service works gives the company unique access to time-coded data on how iPad users (and traditional computer users) read content online.

[jimtorr]

I had eye-strain problems while reading books on my iPad at first, too, even using the Kindle App. I solved the problem by slightly increasing the size of the font.

Now my main complaint is that the iBook application uses up the battery too fast. I can switch the Kindle App text to white on black, but that option does not exist in iBook.

[Swordmaker]

Ray, I'm not sure what you are saying... According to authoritative sources, as of 12/01/2010:

the Latest nook has a screen resolution of 1024×600 and a pixel density of 169 pixels per inch and the iPad has a screen resolution of 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch

Any apparent difference is screen size (6" to 9.7"), which affects dot pitch...but screen resolution is essentially the same.

[ReignOfError]

I can switch the Kindle App text to white on black, but that option does not exist in iBook.

Not in the iBooks app, but you can go to Settings -> General -> Accessibility and reverse the colors on the screen across the board. You can also set it so that a triple-click of the home button reverses the colors. At least that's how it works on the iPhone; I haven't tested it on an iPad.

[RayChuang88]

I think the small screen size plus the 1204x600 resolution is why the Color Nook looks so good at rendering text. This is why I really want Apple to use 1280x768 or 1280x960 resolution for the 2G iPad for cleaner looking text--effectively Retina Display quality holding the iPad between 1.5 and 2 feet from your eyes.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

bump for Mitch Rap

[truthfreedom]

the motorola xoom will have a 1280 x 800 screen - and flash 10.1 for full internet.

[Swordmaker]

I think the small screen size plus the 1204x600 resolution is why the Color Nook looks so good at rendering text.

It's 1024, not 1204, Ray... nothing special... but the small size does help. The smaller dot pitch means that when you build larger fonts you can use smaller dots and wind up with denser packed dots for equivalent size on the screen. It will look better. The iPhone4's 960 x 640 on a 3.5" screen retina display will blow it away, though.

[ctdonath2]

The Apple TV lets you get iP* video to a big screen wirelessly.

[packrat35]

I considered the Nook but since Barnes and Noble will probably fold this year didn’t want to get stuck with a paperweight.

[RayChuang88]

Actually, Barnes & Noble will survive they've been selling books and home videos online through the BarnesandNoble.com web site since 1997, only three years after Amazon.com started operations. And B&N has very successfully rolled out the Nook e-reader, probably the one of the few successful competitors to the Amazon Kindle besides the iPad.