Modify iPad for ereader "look"?

[rfog]

Originally Posted by tm3

Here you go, at about the 6 minute mark. Same reviewer shows it on the Scribe in another video.

https://youtu.be/fxkMN46gFAw?si=7ni4Y2f51Kia7I9T

I see it now, but that’s not a protector—it’s an installed layer, and removing it would void the warranty and likely make the screen wear out much faster. I haven’t checked mine, but I’m pretty sure they have the same layer.

[tm3]

Originally Posted by rfog

I see it now, but that’s not a protector—it’s an installed layer, and removing it would void the warranty and likely make the screen wear out much faster. I haven’t checked mine, but I’m pretty sure they have the same layer.

What strikes me about that installed layer, after what I have learned about the iPad screen protectors, is this. The iPad "matte paper feel" protectors (or screen covers or whatever) create friction between the screen surface and the pen, which is why they feel more like writing on paper. Due to that friction, the surface of the "protector" (which is not glass) develops scratches and wears down, eventually needing replacement.

I would think that the layer on the Boox, Scribe, et al would undergo similar wear and would need replacing at some point. If I was going to invest in one of them I would want to dig into that a little more.

[tm3]

A follow up to my iPad modification ......

The things that have made the most difference to me are 1) sepia color setting in the iBooks app, 2) bold font setting, 3) continuous scroll as opposed to page turn, and the biggest of all, 4) matte screen protector (I found a highly rated cheap one on Amazon).

So far, I'm preferring the overall reading experience to that of the Kindle quite a bit, mainly because the size of the iPad is more like that of a hardback book.

Thanks again to those who provided tips and information!

[QuietShelfLife]

One setting nobody's mentioned yet: Reduce White Point (Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size). It caps the maximum brightness of the screen without dimming the backlight, so you get a softer, more muted look that's much closer to paper. I keep it at around 60-70% and combine it with Night Shift set to warm. That combo plus a sepia or cream background in whatever reader app you're using gets surprisingly close to the Kindle feel without needing a screen protector at all.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by rfog

I tried some paper-like protectors and removed them very quickly because they tended to add a lot of graininess to light colors.

I've had the same experience. Particularly annoying is the rainbow effect/diffraction with light backgrounds.

I recently got an iPad Pro (M4) with nano-textured glass on clearance sale from Costco and that one actually looks pretty good.