You bring up a good point megablast, designing for the iPad does bring new challenges of its own. Though I agree with your design criticism, the iPad Human Inte

You bring up a good point megablast, designing for the iPad does bring new challenges of its own. Though I agree with your design criticism, the iPad Human Interface Guideline paper published by Apple is demanded to be followed upon submission of an App to the AppStore. The larger window on the right, the Detail View, is meant to handle a single unit of content at a time, in this case an HN article. This "Side View" perspective may seem awkward considering a large screen, but keep in mind that just because there is more space, not all of it should necessarily be used up :) You don't want to cramp up too much data or display too little. Maintaining a good balance between the two will come with time and experience.