E-Ink iPad Rival 'reMarkable' Sells More Than 1 Million Devices

Many of the most useful iPad/iOS apps went to a subscription model. Not sure how some of you are aghast at this.
 
I'm all in on the Apple Ecosystem (iPhone, Apple Watch, several Apple TVs, iPad mini, MacBook Pro, Studio Display, and Mac mini -- soon to be replaced by Mac Studio Ultra). I also love my reMarkable 2 since it serves a different purpose for me -- meeting notes, annotation, sketching, etc. without distraction.

The screen is indeed remarkable to read and write upon, and as a leftie I am happy that it works very well for me. While I did get the subscription, it's perfectly usable on its own with 6 GB storage and USB connectivity too. It complements my Apple gear and for my needs it's both effective and fun to use.
 
beermode said:
Many of the most useful iPad/iOS apps went to a subscription model. Not sure how some of you are aghast at this.
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I avoid them like the plague for the most part. Even so while I dislike the concept it's not terrible. Connecting a subscription to features that come with the hardware is.

Think of it this way what would happen if Apple required people pay them a monthly subscription on the iPad to unlock the permission to use Google drive or Dropbox? They would be in court before Tim Cook had time to drink his Starbucks Frappuccino. This company is much smaller and not under any scrutiny so they're flying under the radar.
 
I have both. It's not an iPad rival; it's a completely different device that I use for completely different purposes (e.g., reading and annotating longer PDFs, taking handwritten notes during meetings, etc.).
 
Like some others above, I have both a Remarkable 2 and a full suite of Apple ecosystem products, including an iPad Pro. I love the Remarkable and it fills a niche that that iPad doesn't. The experience of note-taking on it (my main use case) is orders of magnitude better than on the iPad. It's thin and light. The pencil is actually excellent -- the nibs need to be replaced periodically, but create a very pencil-and-paper-like experience. It's not perfect -- there is some of the lag typical of eInk displays, but it's just a super-handy device to have around during meetings and calls, or just to jot down quick notes in other contexts.
 
Robert.Walter said:
A device that:
- costs 30$ less than a current iPad;
- far less than the 2011 iPad could do;
- doesn’t offer the functionality of the iCloud system.

Business model: “the missing functionality is a bonus” is nonsense.

This company depends on ignorance and or anti apple (or Android) bias.

And the monthly subscription is a signal that the basic business was unsustainable as well as some kind of cruel joke to those who already had a device and a turn off to future customers. I think it will hasten this company’s demise by alienating potential new and future replacement customers.

The sales figures and market valuation are both unsustainable.

If it were possible I would be shorting this company’s stock. I’ve never played a short but a cursory glance makes this seem like a no brained.
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If the user experience is good enough, I can see corporations and educational institutions using it with a certain lump sum payment for the cloud connection services. The whole thing is the user experience has to be top notch. It has to do notes far better than an iPad. It has to be readable without any problems that the iPad has. If the product is good enough, an extra $80 per year per business user is NOTHING. Schools and businesses can maybe save the subscription costs in the lack of need for printing and copying.

I am not saying it’s a great product. I don’t own one. However, I do feel taken aback by the need for a subscription. I also disagree with bait and switch. Any customer who buys it with the box stating what’s included should get that for lifetime.

My Kindle is okay to read on. What would make it great is an attachable pencil that I could make notes on. The iPad is really good but doesn’t feel like paper. Plus, the harm of looking at LED backlit displays is worthy of the price of this Remarkable 2.

Someone else also mentioned how much money did they spend to get those sales. Well, they didn’t spend that much for an introductory product as their operating profit was roughly 10% of revenue. I would like to see that number closer to 30%. Investors aren’t stupid. If they gave it a $1B valuation, it could easily make a big splash with a potential v3 that makes up for shortcomings and does many things business and educational institutions find much better. The health benefits for the eyes alone seem valuable to me. Companies are paying massive amounts to companies for SAAS business models that’s often simple and unreliable. If Remarkable can truly make strides with a V3, market to the right customers, provide true user, health, and environmental benefits… the price becomes a bargain.
 
Make subscribing optional, add iCloud Sync (if possible), and I may get one.
This device looks very promising and useful, but not as an iPad replacement. This may be the perfect note-taking device.

Ugh! it's black ink only... keeping my iPad.
 
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I’ve got a ReMarkable 2 as well as iPad Pro — the ReMarkable feels so good to write on, there’s friction like paper, and it’s my go-to device for notes.

I’m so pleased to see they’re doing well. It’s a great product.
 
Razorpit said:
I hate most if not all subscription models, especially when it comes to accessing your own content. We can all thank Apple for creating that atmosphere.
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Don’t know if we should give Apple all the credit for subscriptions. Those were in play before the App Store started managing them for you. I mean, Microsoft with Xbox Gold (with cloud storage), Netflix, PlayStation Plus, Hulu, Spotify (long before Apple Music), World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV or any other services from 2002-2013 I’m just using.

Granted, Apple had .Mac for $100 a year, then it went to MobileMe and now we iCloud. iTunes Match came in around 2011 at $25 per year. The options they have today, they’ve been around since 2015 and they’re still optional. I mean, you can get 5GB of iCloud storage for free. Which isn’t much, but you don’t have to use their premium service at all.

From this device, it looks like you need it for just any form of productivity out of it. Couldn’t imagine people paying Apple a fee to send a written PDF from their iPads.
 
Amazing Iceman said:
Make subscribing optional, add iCloud Sync (if possible), and I may get one.
This device looks very promising and useful, but not as an iPad replacement. This may be the perfect note-taking device.

Ugh! it's black ink only... keeping my iPad.
Click to expand...

I’m in the same boat, but I can understand how some people would prefer using this over an iPad. It’s the same with Kindle and Nook readers against tablets, they just prefer something dedicated to the task.
 
BGPL said:
I have the Ratta Supernote and I think it's slightly better. No subscription service required for cloud storage. It's free with the device.

It's funny how most here don't understand what it is. It's "lower" technology, but it's suits me more than an iPad. I bought an iPad and I never used it. I use my Supernote every day. If you take notes, it will change your life.
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You trust a Chinese based company with all of your notes? ?

I used several apps on the iPad over the years and have settled on gold old Pages. Does everything I want/need. No syncing issues, extremely limited number of bugs, if any. Can't think of one data corruption issue that has ever effected a document. I control where documents are saved and how they are backed up. And if Apple ever goes out of business we all have bigger problems than just my notes. ?
 
russell_314 said:
Same... I don't want to pay a monthly subscription just to make a device usable. Maybe if it's for your job and it makes you money then a subscription is okay. It's like professional photographers that pay Adobe $20 a month or whatever don't mind because they're making thousands from their work.
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You are not the only one writing about the subscription fees, but choose to reply to this one. It is not to single you out. Anyway, I don't quite get the big negativity about it. Ok, sure, annoying that it is not fully functional without the subscription, but I am sure most of us here has some sort of subscription towards Apple surely? iCloud, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness. You obviously don't need any of those to make your Apple devices functional, but yeah...

For me expanded iCloud storage is mandatory and a subscription which is needed for the devices to function as intended for my use. And the price of that is fairly close to $7.99/month.
 
beermode said:
Many of the most useful iPad/iOS apps went to a subscription model. Not sure how some of you are aghast at this.
Click to expand...
Easy, I don't use them.

progx said:
Don’t know if we should give Apple all the credit for subscriptions. Those were in play before the App Store started managing them for you. I mean, Microsoft with Xbox Gold (with cloud storage), Netflix, PlayStation Plus, Hulu, Spotify (long before Apple Music), World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV or any other services from 2002-2013 I’m just using.

Granted, Apple had .Mac for $100 a year, then it went to MobileMe and now we iCloud. iTunes Match came in around 2011 at $25 per year. The options they have today, they’ve been around since 2015 and they’re still optional. I mean, you can get 5GB of iCloud storage for free. Which isn’t much, but you don’t have to use their premium service at all.

From this device, it looks like you need it for just any form of productivity out of it. Couldn’t imagine people paying Apple a fee to send a written PDF from their iPads.
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As a kid who had two newspaper routes of course there were subscription models before the App store. However subscribing to Xbox Gold, HBO, or Netflix is a little bit different than a subscription to an electronic notepad, calendar app, or email app. Those are ridiculous and didn't exist until Apple implemented a system of collecting money for them and "encouraged" developers to move to that revenue model.
 
I got one of these and was really excited about it, but ended up returning it. I'd love an e-ink tablet for large-format reading and writing, and can see how this appeals to certain people, but it is far from an "iPad Rival" and I'd consider it a very different device.
 
It’s nice to see the technologies coming along.
There was no flashing on the page one turning to the next page.

Apple should use color e-ink wrapped around each iPhone behind the glass and from your settings you could change the color patterns and designs.
 
Hmmm....100 day money back guarantee. That's pretty tempting, and it seems like the subscription might not be necessary for how I'd use it. Do any of you use it as an e-reader as well? Can it be held up comfortably with one hand for extended periods?
 
there have always been these single purpose devices (starting with the Palm Pilot) and they always had zealous followers.
However the device you carry around beats the device you don't and so iPhones/iPads replace a lot of these single purpose devices. I have since a long time stopped using a Kindle - and the few situations, where it is indeed superior to an iPad do not even make me bother to think about recharging the Kindle, it is collecting dust in a drawer.
 
joecomo said:
there have always been these single purpose devices (starting with the Palm Pilot) and they always had zealous followers.
However the device you carry around beats the device you don't and so iPhones/iPads replace a lot of these single purpose devices. I have since a long time stopped using a Kindle - and the few situations, where it is indeed superior to an iPad do not even make me bother to think about recharging the Kindle, it is collecting dust in a drawer.
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Palm Pilot, single purpose? Man, I remember doing alot on mine, shy of making a calls and watching videos. Then came Handspring. Then I was surfing the internet, using it as a GPS device, reading books.
 
ignatius345 said:
Same here. I bought my wife one of a couple years ago to use in her therapy practice. She'd been writing in millions of random notebooks which were all over the place. This replaced all that immediately. And now all that confidential stuff is password-protected.

She's a technophobe and I have literally never heard her ask for help or complain about anything not working -- which is a great indication that the UI is solid and the device is reliable.
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Well said.

I have two iPads (12" pro, mini, both last year's models) and a Remarkable2. Comparing them is not easy, because they are very different devices for very different use cases.

I use the Remarkable for 1 thing, taking notes; it's a digital bullet journal for me. I have tried for years to use an iPad for this, and honestly, it kinda sucks for that purpose compared to the RM2.

Some thoughts on why I like the RM2 even though I also have iPads:
- The iPad pencil (even with various "paper-like" screen protectors) does not feel good to write on.
- It's easy to get distracted when you open it to take notes, and getting to the note app has a lot of friction if you've been using the iPad for anything else (compared to "I open it and it's on the last page I wrote on" with the RM2). Single-purpose devices are nice.
- when I flip open the cover of my RM2, it is usually showing me the last note page (eink displays are great for this), unless it's been off for a while. During the work day, this means it's almost zero friction to glance at your notes and/or todo list.
- Battery life. I've opened my iPad and had a dead battery over the years soooooo many times. The RM2 lasts WEEKS, so I can rely on it.
- the RM2 is very thin and light, making writing on it more comfortable than the thick ipad
- The 12" iPad weighs almost as much as my 14" MBP. Add a keyboard and it weighs more. I'd rather carry the light RM2 around with me during the day (since I also carry my laptop)
- (minor) in some meetings, an RM2 is more acceptable to have open than laptop or iPad (both of which give the impression you might be doing something other than giving the meeting your full attention)

All that said, I have both for a reason. The RM2 is a great "journal / notes" device. The iPad is awesome for many things. I can't read/comment on large PDF's on the RM2 (too slow), and on the iPad I can use programs like Liquid Text that let me make comments on very large docs in more than just a "it acts like paper" way. I can read Apple and Kindle books on my iPad, which I can't do on the RM2 (it does support non-DRM'd ebooks, but that's it) -- in fact, that's why I have the mini, because the 12" is too damn heavy to hold up while reading for any length of time.

I personally use the RM2 more than either of my iPads, but that mostly just means I don't use the iPads very much.

The iPad is fine for note-taking if that's all you have, but if you can "throw money" at the problem, then owning both is a reasonable thing. I'm very happy with both but I also recognize I'm privileged to be able to afford all of these toys without the cost mattering that much.
 
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