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My problem with it is that I'd rather have an iPad and a cheaper e-reader to get access to many more apps and functions. If it was 1/2 the price it would be at

My problem with it is that I'd rather have an iPad and a cheaper e-reader to get access to many more apps and functions. If it was 1/2 the price it would be at least interesting but I use the iPad to read ebooks, to browse the web, to paint in procreate, to sequence synths and record using an audio interface, to watch YouTube in the kitchen or Netflix in bed, and with a logitech keyboard work on documents in Microsoft office. As I find new useful apps it becomes more and more useful itself. The remarkable does cost less than the iPad but it has maybe an 1/8th or a 1/16th of the functionality, and my Kobo reader cost me less than $100 for most of the benefits of having an e-ink reader. It lacks an app ecosystem and seems aimed as a tinker device instead of an end user product. But I guess if you have to have a larger e-ink tablet the remarkable seems to be the thing.

wedn3sday 5y ago
I absolutely cannot read for any significant period of time on an ipad screen, it kills my eyes. I love my rM2, but agree that not having support for 3rd party apps seriously sucks, its (IMO) the one thing thats really missing from the device.
- LegitShady 5y ago
  Turn down the brightness, use something with an inverted colour scheme, adjust the text size to something reasonable, and don't read in the dark if you're doing that But as I said I also have a Kobo reader for reading on its own, and it was very cheap compared to the remarkable.
shados 5y ago
The point of a remarkable is to be an e-ink notebook to write in. It has a few extra features, like, it CAN be used as an e-reader, but it's not really its primary focus. So with that in mind, an e-ink reader doesn't make for a good writing device, and an ipad is lacking the wacom style e-ink tablet. Is it overpriced for what it is? Yeah, probably, that's the curse of small batch hardware in the world of Google and Apple. But an ipad and an e-reader don't really replace it's niche. If you're cool with the writing experience on an ipad, then the Remarkable is essentially useless to you. Personally, I really, really love my Remarkable 2 (I also had the original, but the 2 is way better).
- LegitShady 5y ago
  Imho the only thing the iPad loses over Wacom is the shape of the pen (my pro pen 2 is head and shoulders more comfortable to use than the apple pencil). The remarkable pen is not much different than the apple pencil. Wacoms strength is their application support/drivers support which remarkable doesn't have and iPad has its own ecosystem. I suppose also that you can get very large tablet displays with Wacom too while the iPad tops out at roughly 13". Facebook has been pushing ads for this device at me since it was available and each time I look I can't imagine why anyone would want one except that they have money to burn and time to waste beta testing on something that doesn't have an ecosystem but has a low power screen. Amazon is already a major consumer of eink screens and could eat their lunch tomorrow and close the whole company down in a year. There's no future for it without an app ecosystem and a more compelling reason to exist An iPad and an e-reader do much more than a remarkable for not that much difference in cost. I dont see a long term future for their company or product
  - necovek 5y ago
    I don't have a rm2, but I am intrigued by all the praise for the paper-like feel of the pen/screen combination: have you tried it and not noticed any difference, or are you simply talking based on the specs? Honestly wondering because it's too expensive to be an impulse buy for me, on top of not being available to my country, so I'd have to jump through hoops and pay extra to get it locally, but I am hoping I can replace gobbles of paper with one device like that.
    - LegitShady 5y ago
      I got a matte screen protector for my iPad with a similar feel. Neither the iPad with the paperlike protector nor the remarkable actually feel like paper, but they do feel better than drawing with a plastic pen on a glass screen. My 16" Wacom display tablet also has something similar applied from factory to provide a texture to it
      - necovek 5y ago
bredren 5y ago
I think the “problem” is that iPad’s hardware / sw quality is so high it makes seemingly similar tech products seem overpriced or shabby or both. I feel the same way about the kindle oasis. Amazon seems to care less than nothing about that whole product line, it is so neglected.

wedn3sday 5y ago

I absolutely cannot read for any significant period of time on an ipad screen, it kills my eyes. I love my rM2, but agree that not having support for 3rd party apps seriously sucks, its (IMO) the one thing thats really missing from the device.

LegitShady 5y ago
Turn down the brightness, use something with an inverted colour scheme, adjust the text size to something reasonable, and don't read in the dark if you're doing that But as I said I also have a Kobo reader for reading on its own, and it was very cheap compared to the remarkable.

shados 5y ago

The point of a remarkable is to be an e-ink notebook to write in. It has a few extra features, like, it CAN be used as an e-reader, but it's not really its primary focus. So with that in mind, an e-ink reader doesn't make for a good writing device, and an ipad is lacking the wacom style e-ink tablet. Is it overpriced for what it is? Yeah, probably, that's the curse of small batch hardware in the world of Google and Apple. But an ipad and an e-reader don't really replace it's niche. If you're cool with the writing experience on an ipad, then the Remarkable is essentially useless to you. Personally, I really, really love my Remarkable 2 (I also had the original, but the 2 is way better).

LegitShady 5y ago
Imho the only thing the iPad loses over Wacom is the shape of the pen (my pro pen 2 is head and shoulders more comfortable to use than the apple pencil). The remarkable pen is not much different than the apple pencil. Wacoms strength is their application support/drivers support which remarkable doesn't have and iPad has its own ecosystem. I suppose also that you can get very large tablet displays with Wacom too while the iPad tops out at roughly 13". Facebook has been pushing ads for this device at me since it was available and each time I look I can't imagine why anyone would want one except that they have money to burn and time to waste beta testing on something that doesn't have an ecosystem but has a low power screen. Amazon is already a major consumer of eink screens and could eat their lunch tomorrow and close the whole company down in a year. There's no future for it without an app ecosystem and a more compelling reason to exist An iPad and an e-reader do much more than a remarkable for not that much difference in cost. I dont see a long term future for their company or product
- necovek 5y ago
  I don't have a rm2, but I am intrigued by all the praise for the paper-like feel of the pen/screen combination: have you tried it and not noticed any difference, or are you simply talking based on the specs? Honestly wondering because it's too expensive to be an impulse buy for me, on top of not being available to my country, so I'd have to jump through hoops and pay extra to get it locally, but I am hoping I can replace gobbles of paper with one device like that.
  - LegitShady 5y ago
    I got a matte screen protector for my iPad with a similar feel. Neither the iPad with the paperlike protector nor the remarkable actually feel like paper, but they do feel better than drawing with a plastic pen on a glass screen. My 16" Wacom display tablet also has something similar applied from factory to provide a texture to it
    - necovek 5y ago

bredren 5y ago

I think the “problem” is that iPad’s hardware / sw quality is so high it makes seemingly similar tech products seem overpriced or shabby or both. I feel the same way about the kindle oasis. Amazon seems to care less than nothing about that whole product line, it is so neglected.