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screen res TOO low for reading?? (from ip4)

L

libskate

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 9, 2009
41
0
Hi all,

I am seriously considering buying an ipad 2. I was going to wait, but I really want one now.

My one concern is that I primarily intend to use the ipad 2 for reading (magazines, web articles, blogs etc), and i know the ipad's screen isnt exactly "hi-res," especially compared to the iphone 4.

So how has your ipad 2 reading experience been? Does the screen seem blurry or anything coming from an iphone 4?

thanks
 
libskate said:
Hi all,

I am seriously considering buying an ipad 2. I was going to wait, but I really want one now.

My one concern is that I primarily intend to use the ipad 2 for reading (magazines, web articles, blogs etc), and i know the ipad's screen isnt exactly "hi-res," especially compared to the iphone 4.

So how has your ipad 2 reading experience been? Does the screen seem blurry or anything coming from an iphone 4?

thanks
Click to expand...

I have iPhone 4 and both iPads and I have no problems.

blueroom said:
You can buy one from Apple and try it for 14 days. I find the screen excellent.
Click to expand...

This
 
I'd also vote for try it--even by using one in the store. I loaded a sample into iBooks and tried it that way back when the iPad first came out.

The difference in resolution between the two devices IS noticeable. But like anything else, meh, you get used to it fast enough. I do all my reading on my iPad, and have for over a year. And I read a fair amount. It's just generally not bothersome to me.

Still, the reason I didn't upgrade from an iPad1 to an iPad2 was that there was no resolution bump. If they go with a higher res iPad3, I'll be upgrading on launch day.
 
Yeah, my first reaction after getting a 4 on launch day was, wow, the iPad looks terrible all of a sudden. That quickly wore off though and I use my iPad over my iPhone whenever possible, the size of it makes up for any shortcomings in PPI.

Of course, like most others, I'll be all over a retina iPad the moment it appears.
 
I have an iPad 1, the same screen resolution as the iPad 2 - and it isn't as good as I would like it to be. I mostly use it for reading magazines in Zinio. In portrait mode, one page fills the screen, about 80% of the size in real life, which should be good enough - but the text is too blurry to read, I have to pinch to zoom all the time, which is annoying. I'll replace it when the retina iPad comes out.

Conversely, the screen on my 3GS is good enough - a full page will be way too small anyway, so I use the Text mode.
 
It is perfectly fine for reading. I have no problem at all reading articles, books, webpages, etc. I think it is much easier reading on than the iPad compared to the iPhone due to the bump in size.

The resolution is plenty large enough for reading. And gaming for that matter.

I love the screen. Granted a Retina screen would be a nice upgrade, I still think the existing screen is lovely.

The pixel density on it is the same as or better than most monitors.
 
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the screen is blurry compared to something like the retina one. and, it isn't as good as the e-ink kindle for reading. but, i don't mind too much. i use it for reading 4-8 hours every day (mainly pdfs). i am quite pleased and think it was well worth the money spent.

but, as others have said, just get it and try. return it if you don't like it.
 
palpatine said:
the screen is blurry compared to something like the retina one. and, it isn't as good as the e-ink kindle for reading. but, i don't mind too much. i use it for reading 4-8 hours every day (mainly pdfs). i am quite pleased and think it was well worth the money spent.

but, as others have said, just get it and try. return it if you don't like it.
Click to expand...

Is 35 ppi that big of a difference? I can see retina with over twice the ppi, but 35 doesn't seem that big of a deal. At least to me. I have absolutely no problem reading for long periods on the iPad. As long as there are no glare issues. The biggest advantage with the Kindle IMO, is the eInk and the ability to read easily in the daylight.

People have read and wrote for years on computers with monitors having much lower ppi than the iPad. The monitors I am using right now are 94 ppi and they are upper end Sun monitors. Lovely displays.
 
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iPad is no Kindle, but its perfectly serviceable and the differences between the two disappear w/ both time and familiarity.
 
libskate said:
Hi all,

I am seriously considering buying an ipad 2. I was going to wait, but I really want one now.

My one concern is that I primarily intend to use the ipad 2 for reading (magazines, web articles, blogs etc), and i know the ipad's screen isnt exactly "hi-res," especially compared to the iphone 4.

So how has your ipad 2 reading experience been? Does the screen seem blurry or anything coming from an iphone 4?

thanks
Click to expand...
It's hard at first, took me a week or so of adjustment. But it's so much fun having the iPhone 4 usability on the larger screen, that I began to adapt.

I itch for a retina because text is blurry on iPad 2 with it's significantly lower PPI.

----------
Sandman1969 said:
People have read and wrote for years on computers with monitors having much lower ppi than the iPad. The monitors I am using right now are 94 ppi and they are upper end Sun monitors. Lovely displays.
Click to expand...
My 24" sits up on my desk ~4 ft away.

I pad is held in my hands 1-1.5 ft away.

slight difference.
 
Menel said:
It's hard at first, took me a week or so of adjustment. But it's so much fun having the iPhone 4 usability on the larger screen, that I began to adapt.

I itch for a retina because text is blurry on iPad 2 with it's significantly lower PPI.

----------

My 24" sits up on my desk ~4 ft away.

I pad is held in my hands 1-1.5 ft away.

slight difference.
Click to expand...


Well most people aren't that far away from their monitors. Most keyboards are on the person's desk. My head is about 1.5 - 2 feet away from my monitor as most people in my office.

I am about as close to my monitor as my iPad. It usually sits in my lap or on my legs while on the couch.
 
I think the ipad is gread for magazines and comic books. It is a little stressful on my eyes when I try to read novels on it, so I am still using my nook for that. Try it out.
 
Sandman1969 said:
Is 35 ppi that big of a difference? I can see retina with over twice the ppi, but 35 doesn't seem that big of a deal. At least to me. I have absolutely no problem reading for long periods on the iPad. As long as there are no glare issues. The biggest advantage with the Kindle IMO, is the eInk and the ability to read easily in the daylight.

People have read and wrote for years on computers with monitors having much lower ppi than the iPad. The monitors I am using right now are 94 ppi and they are upper end Sun monitors. Lovely displays.
Click to expand...

The iPad has pixel density of 132 DPI ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_displays_by_pixel_density ), way much better than your Sun monitors. It's about 40% more, but numbers are not as important as personal experience.

I do a lot of reading on my iPad, and have no complains. An eBook reader with eInk may be better for outdoor reading, it definitely has better definition, but it's a completely different kind of device. I do a lot more on my iPad than just read eBooks.
 
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Amazing Iceman said:
I'm not sure where you got that information, but the iPad has pixel density of 132 DPI ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_displays_by_pixel_density ), way much better than your lovely Sun monitors.

I do a lot of reading on my iPad, and have no complains. An eBook reader with eInk may be better for outdoor reading, it definitely has better definition, but it's a completely different kind of device. I do a lot more on my iPad than just read eBooks.
Click to expand...

You misread my post. I was referring to the 35 ppi difference between the iPad (132) and the Kindle (167).

http://www.tested.com/news/why-pixel-density-matters-more-than-just-screen-size-or-resolution/371/


I was supporting reading enjoyment on the iPad's screen and stated that it's PPI was better than my 24" monitor, which I also have no problem reading/writing with.
 
Sandman1969 said:
Is 35 ppi that big of a difference? I can see retina with over twice the ppi, but 35 doesn't seem that big of a deal. At least to me. I have absolutely no problem reading for long periods on the iPad. As long as there are no glare issues. The biggest advantage with the Kindle IMO, is the eInk and the ability to read easily in the daylight.

People have read and wrote for years on computers with monitors having much lower ppi than the iPad. The monitors I am using right now are 94 ppi and they are upper end Sun monitors. Lovely displays.
Click to expand...

I cannot explain why there is a difference (ppi, backlit, smoothing?), but in my experience the Kindle display is far better for reading. I have no "problems" reading for long periods on either device, but I prefer the e-ink. The difference for me has nothing to do with glare.

I am sure there are lots of people out there who can stare into a CRT monitor for 12 hours a day and be perfectly fine, and there are others with high end LCD models whose eyes get very tired after just a few hours. I suppose I am more of the former, than the latter, but I still prefer the e-ink.

I feel fortunate that I have excellent eyesight, despite having a job that literally requires me to read all day every day (I easily go through 30 or more books a month, dozens of articles, and lots of other materials). I do almost all of it on the iPad and I highly recommend the iPad.

However, it is blurry (in my opinion) and not as good as e-ink (for me). I am willing to accept the trade-off (less enjoyable reading experience, but infinitely more useful device). I don't know if the OP is, or even if the OP will have the same experience. The best thing to do is give it a try and see how you feel about it.
 
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I have an iPhone 4 (love the Retina screen) and my wife has a 3GS. I can totally see the difference there.

We were planning on buying an iPad when they switched to Retina display, I said I was so used to my iP4 that I "needed" retina/and better camera.

But, on Halloween I won an iPad2 at a costume contest. I did notice a slightly difference but then noticed I hold it further away from my face and when actually reading magazines and the like, not a big noticeable difference anymore.

I love reading magazines and such on the iPad. I think they are clear enough to read easily. I somewhat wish for a retina screen on the iPad but think the current bunch is just fine in actual use.
 
palpatine said:
I cannot explain why there is a difference (ppi, backlit, smoothing?), but in my experience the Kindle display is far better for reading. I have no "problems" reading for long periods on either device, but I prefer the e-ink. The difference for me has nothing to do with glare.

I am sure there are lots of people out there who can stare into a CRT monitor for 12 hours a day and be perfectly fine, and there are others with high end LCD models whose eyes get very tired after just a few hours. I suppose I am more of the former, than the latter, but I still prefer the e-ink.

I feel fortunate that I have excellent eyesight, despite having a job that literally requires me to read all day every day (I easily go through 30 or more books a month, dozens of articles, and lots of other materials). I do almost all of it on the iPad and I highly recommend the iPad.

However, it is blurry (in my opinion) and not as good as e-ink (for me). I am willing to accept the trade-off (less enjoyable reading experience, but infinitely more useful device). I don't know if the OP is, or even if the OP will have the same experience. The best thing to do is give it a try and see how you feel about it.
Click to expand...

O I totally agree the Kindle's eInk is better to read than the iPad. I think that is also due to the back lighting functinoality of the eInk more so than the resolution / ppi. eInk just seems more like paper.

However, I have no problems reading with the iPad and have been doing a good bit of it on it with no complaints. Yes Retina will make it better, but I have no problems currently.
 
libskate said:
So how has your ipad 2 reading experience been? Does the screen seem blurry or anything coming from an iphone 4?
Click to expand...
Why are you polling people on this? I have no complaints but that really doesn't mean anything unless you're going to use my eyes and my preferences to read your iPad. For subjective matters like this you need to experience the device first hand to make your own assessment. You can read all you want and still not have a suitable answer.
 
takeshi74 said:
Why are you polling people on this? I have no complaints but that really doesn't mean anything unless you're going to use my eyes and my preferences to read your iPad. For subjective matters like this you need to experience the device first hand to make your own assessment. You can read all you want and still not have a suitable answer.
Click to expand...

Incorrect. Mine is the correct answer for him! :D
 
As you say, you can't compare between e-ink and LCD based on DPI alone, because they are fundamentally different display technologies. But have advantages and disadvantages of course, and what works best will be different for each person.

But here's a pretty good comparison of the 2 displays under high magnification, and basically shows why the e-ink display doesn't look blurry at all, even though its DPI is very comparable to the iPad screen-

http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/13/kindle-and-ipad-displays-go-under-the-microscope/

Again, not to say one is better than the other. But e-ink does do a pretty good rendition of regular ink and paper, at the expense of lack of versatility.

Sandman1969 said:
O I totally agree the Kindle's eInk is better to read than the iPad. I think that is also due to the back lighting functinoality of the eInk more so than the resolution / ppi. eInk just seems more like paper.

However, I have no problems reading with the iPad and have been doing a good bit of it on it with no complaints. Yes Retina will make it better, but I have no problems currently.
Click to expand...
 
I too initially found the iPad to be blurry coming from an iPhone 4, but over time, I've come to accept it as it is, and now, for the most part, I don't notice it. I do a significant amount of reading on it, as all my magazine subscriptions are now iPad only, and of course books as well. I will most likely not be upgrading my iPad 1 until a model is released with a higher resolution screen, however.
 
zhenya said:
I too initially found the iPad to be blurry coming from an iPhone 4, but over time, I've come to accept it as it is, and now, for the most part, I don't notice it. I do a significant amount of reading on it, as all my magazine subscriptions are now iPad only, and of course books as well. I will most likely not be upgrading my iPad 1 until a model is released with a higher resolution screen, however.
Click to expand...

i would say the ipad screen is good/acceptable now for reading, but i think a lot of us are eagerly anticipating the retina screen or some other improvement that will take it to the next level.
 
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