

Apple's Upcoming 'Reading List' to Compete with Instapaper and ReadItLater - happybuy
http://www.macrumors.com/2011/04/29/apples-upcoming-reading-list-for-safari-to-compete-with-instapaper-and-readitlater/

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ttjervaag
Marco Arment had an excellent take on this in this episode of his Build &
Analyze podcast: <http://5by5.tv/buildanalyze/22>

The gist of it is that, like with RSS functionality in Safari, Apple moving in
tends to raise awareness of the functionality but not go so far as to satisfy
a lot of users. So Marci ultimately sees it as a benefit: more people knowing
that they could use a reading list means more Instapaper customers.

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olivercameron
I wouldn't see this as a danger to Instapaper, I rarely ever use Safari
(especially on an iPhone) to send to Instapaper. It feels more like a
Readability competitor, who even use the phrase "Reading List" on their site.

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chc
Apple already competes with Readability with Safari Reader, so I guess that
would make sense.

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masklinn
Where by "competes with" you mean "bundles"

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chc
AFAIK, it's more like "maintains a competing product based on a fork of an
early version of," but I thought "competes" summed it up well enough. It seems
like it's "bundled" in the same way that Beryl bundled Compiz.

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DaveMebs
It would be interesting to know the Instapaper and ReadItLater's user break
down by OS. I think the percentage of Windows and Linux users who who use
Safari and one of those services is small enough to discount. So for the sake
of discussion, let's assume the number of Mac users equals the number of
Safari users, and that the services' customer breakdown by OS is roughly equal
to the global distribution. If all of Mac users then quit using these
services, about 10% of the user base would be lost. This is obviously a high
estimate, and if I were Instapaper/ReadItLater, I wouldn't be very concerned.

On the other hand, if the primary user base came from, say, iOS, this may be a
more significant threat. Never having owned an iPhone or used an Instapaper
app (I only use it in my browser. I like to blow up the font and strip it
clean.), I cannot comment on their attraction over Safari mobile. Is the
Instapaper app more than just a bookmark and viewing pane?

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macrael
The Instapaper app is fantastic. Primarily it is a list of articles, cleanly
presented and bookmarked. The reading experience is superior to the browser
because one can simple swipe to advance a page. Perhaps a small thing but it
makes a big difference when doing a lot of reading. It is just generally a
very well designed app.

Also, the app has begun to expose some new features, like finding your friends
and getting to see their favorite articles, that I'm not sure are even exposed
on the site now.

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magicofpi
I was just wondering, actually, if Apple would make something to compete with
Instapaper. The iPad is not necessarily an ideal ebook reader - it's heavier,
more expensive, and harder to read in the sun than the Kindle or Nook.

Don't get me wrong; I love the iPad, and I've read a couple of books on it
too. But what I really like doing is reading articles on Instapaper. The iPad
seems ideal for reading and collecting Instapaper-length stories or essays. To
me, it would make a lot of sense to integrate something like "Reading List"
into iBooks, and market that as a feature. It may not replace
Instapaper/ReadItLater for us, but I'm sure consumers who have never heard of
either will love Apple's Reading List.

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richcollins
Tough when your company becomes a feature

~~~
ilovecomputers
Odeo understood this pain more than anyone.

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hanszeir
I bet it will sync remotely with all your iOS devices, just like the bookmark
in iBook.

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icegreentea
...or like readitlater?

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laujen
This is a small feature but could be an indicator of very big things for
Apple. If the iCloud rumors are true then there could be a huge opportunity
for keeping your desktop and smartphone/tablet in sync, and this would be a
big advantage for Apple and MS since they control desktop environments.

For example, say I have a Pages document open and go to leave the house, the
same document could automatically be available on my iPad in the exact same
state I left it in without me having to do anything.

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Rickasaurus
Maybe the Instapaper guy will break down and support Droid now. At least
something multi-platform will have an edge up on Apple.

~~~
jbtaylor
For the love of god stop obsessing over Marco Arment and get Read It Later
already:
[https://market.android.com/details?id=com.ideashower.readitl...](https://market.android.com/details?id=com.ideashower.readitlater.pro)

Instapaper can't hold a candle to it.

~~~
masklinn
> Instapaper can't hold a candle to it.

Wishful thinking?

