Reading on a MacBook Pro 2023 14" or iPad Air 4-5th Gen

Gnomac43 · Dec 26, 2023

Hi,

I usually read many PDF, I have a Kindle Scribe but technical stuff doesn't fit there...
So I use an app in my MacBook that has the dark mode and makes the entire screen dark, so no top bar full of light with the standard Apple software, one big problem solved.

I wonder if I'd get a better experience on an iPad Air 5th Gen, or 4th Gen too. I know that these don't have PWM, but I don't notice anything as such on my MacBook.
I think it's the best monitor I ever had and whatever is read in dark mode, it's just fantastic.
If I don't use the dark mode, then I start to feel eye strain, but that has always been the case, so maybe a general issue with me rather than a PWM issue (I had at least 7 different monitors)

Regarding iPad 10th Gen instead, considered due to the lower price, it has PWM but with the white brightness reduction in the settings I should be able to fix it, but will it improve my reading experience overall?
The first issue is that the monitor is 10", same as the Kindle Scribe, it shouldn't be enough for technical books, at that point I would need to consider an iPad Pro but the price is out of the equation, I already have an high specs laptop and it's really enough

.

So, what do you think?

Gnomac43 · Dec 28, 2023

no one?

MacInWin · Dec 28, 2023

You asked a question about YOUR experience. Only YOU know about YOUR experience. Will what you are pondering work? Technically, sure, but will it make YOUR experience better? Nobody knows.

Jimmysb · Dec 28, 2023

Gnomac43 said:
.

So, what do you think?

You are over thinking it.

IWT · Dec 28, 2023

Gnomac43 said:
So, what do you think?

I think you should go with the iPad in dark Mode. As you say, it suits you; so end of problem?

Ian

Gnomac43 · Dec 29, 2023

MacInWin said:
You asked a question about YOUR experience. Only YOU know about YOUR experience. Will what you are pondering work? Technically, sure, but will it make YOUR experience better? Nobody knows.

It can be also looked from another direction, someone could also tell me how it is the experience reading on the iPad if done regularly.

IWT said:
I think you should go with the iPad in dark Mode. As you say, it suits you; so end of problem?

Ian

Not exactly, it's always a 10" (unless the expensive pro version), but I noticed that my Kindle Scribe zooms arbitrarily, so I can't just zoom at the level I need, the page becomes always unreadable.
With an iPad, this shouldn't happen but I wonder if anyone got any experience here with pdf.

MacInWin · Dec 29, 2023

Gnomac43 said:
It can be also looked from another direction, someone could also tell me how it is the experience reading on the iPad if done regularly.

If I put less salt on my potatoes will I like it better? See how silly the question is? You cannot know what I like and dislike.

I personally HATE dark mode and turn it off every time I can. Others love it. I cannot imagine trying to read in dark mode, it would drive me crazy. Do you really want MY opinion on the best dark mode reader? See how silly the question is?

As I said, the things you are asking about are very personal and related to YOUR tastes and preferences. Your best bet is to go to a store that has display models for you to look at with YOUR eyes to make a decision.

Gnomac43 · Dec 29, 2023

MacInWin said:
If I put less salt on my potatoes will I like it better? See how silly the question is? You cannot know what I like and dislike.

I personally HATE dark mode and turn it off every time I can. Others love it. I cannot imagine trying to read in dark mode, it would drive me crazy. Do you really want MY opinion on the best dark mode reader? See how silly the question is?

As I said, the things you are asking about are very personal and related to YOUR tastes and preferences. Your best bet is to go to a store that has display models for you to look at with YOUR eyes to make a decision.

I understand your point, but I didn't find those things online and it's something I can't test in a store, the ambient light is just crazy, it's not what I have at home.
I was just trying to get an idea, I wasn't trying to base my decision on that with our testing it.
If I ever order one and I don't like it, I have 14 days to give it back.

IWT · Dec 29, 2023

MacInWin said:
I personally HATE dark mode and turn it off every time I can.

Well, hate may be a bit OTT; but I dislike Dark Mode in general. I accept it during the hours of darkness because it can be easier to read - when I say read, I mean Contacts, Messages, and the like. Definitely not books or their equivalent.

Ian

Jimmysb · Dec 29, 2023

I do not use dark mode, and read in the evening, including books, on my 6th gen iPad without issue. I find eye adjust very well to most light. Some early mornings without any external light whilst Mrs. B sleeps, Istill manage to read okay.

Randy B. Singer · Dec 31, 2023

Gnomac43 said:
Hi,

I usually read many PDF

I don't know if you will find this useful, but I read a good number of PDF's on my Macs as well. I don't enjoy doing so in Preview. But I've found this free app from the comic book world makes reading them one heck of a lot easier/nicer:

YACReader (free)
https://www.yacreader.com

ferrarr · Dec 31, 2023

You can also open PDF files in the Books app.

IWT · Dec 31, 2023

ferrarr said:
You can also open PDF files in the Books app.

I had totally forgotten that, Bob. Thanks for the reminder.

Ian

Gnomac43 · Jan 2, 2024

IWT said:
Well, hate may be a bit OTT; but I dislike Dark Mode in general. I accept it during the hours of darkness because it can be easier to read - when I say read, I mean Contacts, Messages, and the like. Definitely not books or their equivalent.

Ian

I certainly don't tolerate brightness for too many hours, I don't know you, but I work on a monitor and I read pretty much all day, with frequent breaks when I get a chance.
Without dark mode I'd feel fatigue, but moreover, it's not healthy.

Jimmysb said:
I do not use dark mode, and read in the evening, including books, on my 6th gen iPad without issue. I find eye adjust very well to most light. Some early mornings without any external light whilst Mrs. B sleeps, Istill manage to read okay.

I couldn't read in the evening without dark mode, the brightness would kill me, even if I set the reduced power on white color, which not every iPad has, it's a driver feature of iPad with problematic screens (PWM).
I'm not sure how it is the OLED screen, but I guess it's just fine, I can see that on my MacBook Pro 2023.
At the end, it's supposed to shutdown the LEDs where there is black color, the problem that remains is the white, but at the moment I can't personally see a problem with it, no PWM side effects so far, I guess that an iPad wouldn't make a better experience.

ferrarr said:
You can also open PDF files in the Books app.

Thanks, I saw that but it has a white line on top, which hits my eyes, the difference without it it's pretty noticeable, so I'm using another software.