The iPad is undeniably a robust product. It generates about 10% of Apple’s total revenue and boasts more than twice the market share of Samsung, its nearest rival. Nevertheless, the market it has influenced has changed significantly in recent years, and Apple has failed to keep pace.
## Not a Kindle
One of the original selling points of the iPad was its role as a multi-purpose device that, while vastly superior to Amazon’s lowly Kindle for reading, also occupied a space between the iPhone and the Mac for general consumption and productivity. As the iPad range diversified and expanded with numerous variants and generations, along with an array of accessories, it distinguished itself even further from the humble Kindle and every other ordinary tablet available.
The fact is, as the divide between them grew, a new product category quietly emerged. Once considered niche and cumbersome, the e-ink tablet has evolved into something that Apple should no longer overlook.
## Not an iPad
It’s true that when e-ink tablets were first launched, they were terrible, especially the color e-ink versions. Color accuracy was poor. Color richness was lacking. Image clarity was subpar. The negatives were numerous. Additionally, the hardware often appeared cheap, originating from obscure Chinese manufacturers. They were also costly, competing with the price of an iPad.
However, this is no longer the situation. Products such as the reMarkable Paper Pro, the BOOX Note, and the XPPen Magic Note Pad are still on the pricier side, but they have ceased being viewed as peculiar iPad alternatives and have evolved into their own legitimate product category. Ironically, this transformation has made them quite attractive to iPad users who find themselves grappling with the paradox of needing to navigate a system that must become more capable just to perform simpler tasks.
Ultimately, there’s a reason products like the reMarkable tablets continue to gain traction and why they remain in public discourse. If you were previously unaware of them, it suffices to say that they are generating interest. Not universally, of course. But probably more than, say… the iPad mini?
And here’s the twist: some of these new gadgets don’t even incorporate e-ink at all. There’s an increasing number of tablets that utilize traditional screens but include settings that replicate the visual and functional limitations of e-ink. In other words, they function like e-ink tablets without being constrained by its limitations.
## The case for an iPad Ink
No one buys a reMarkable to operate Final Cut Pro. This is evident. But that is somewhat the essence of the concept. These devices do not claim to be alternative full-fledged computers. They embrace a focused, distraction-free atmosphere that is delightful in its singular purpose. Meanwhile, the iPad continues to add Mac-like features like Stage Manager, but each advancement in that direction also underscores how rigid it remains.
Are there individuals who rely on the iPad and are completely oblivious to what I am discussing? Yes. Yet even they must concede that they are becoming increasingly uncommon.
This is where the iPad Ink enters the picture. Not an e-ink writing pad. Not an upgraded e-reader. Not an iPad replica with a limited app selection. An authentic, well-defined new product category, reminiscent of what Apple is supposedly creating for home use. A purposefully designed, ultra-low-distraction device that supports stylus use, conceived from the outset with productivity in mind.
Is it likely that Apple will ever create such a device? Probably not. But while it continues to adapt the iPad around its concept of work, an increasing number of individuals seem to be gravitating towards the ever-expanding range of reMarkable-like products for, you know, productive purposes.
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