The value is in the lack of features. This is a hard concept for most people who haven't used one (or a similar device) to grasp.

Running Android or iOS apps is an anti-feature. Having cellular data is an anti-feature. Our world is full of trillion dollar corporations fighting as hard as they can to distract us, drive engagement, and get us staring at their wall for as long as possible.

My reMarkable 2 is the best focus device I have. It's the best writing device by far, the best "draw some woodworking plans" device, the best "work on a crossword puzzle" device, and a very good reading device (page navigation is slower than Kindle, but being able to read PDFs designed for 8.5x11 which are unreadable on Kindle makes it a wash).

On an iPad, at any moment there could be a toast from Signal, or Discord, or Messenger, or whatever. There's a web browser full of infinite content on Reddit and YouTube. I can go on a plane and have a physical book in front of me but it's no match for the allure of the internet if there's Wi-Fi. The reMarkable is one of the only devices out there that fixes the distraction aspect, and THAT is the single biggest thing between me and achieving things.

> On an iPad, at any moment there could be a toast from Signal, or Discord, or Messenger, or whatever. There's a web browser full of infinite content on Reddit and YouTube. I can go on a plane and have a physical book in front of me but it's no match for the allure of the internet if there's Wi-Fi. The reMarkable is one of the only devices out there that fixes the distraction aspect, and THAT is the single biggest thing between me and achieving things.

Don't install any of these apps, and use a Shortcut (described somewhere else on this page). It's really not that hard -- I've done it. Then stick a paper-like sheet on it.

And voila, your iPad is now a better ReMarkable. The Apple Pencil is more amazing than most pens, the resolution and refresh rate on a Retina Display is unmatched.

The key to not getting tired on a tablet is responsiveness -- something no eInk device achieves. I regularly do math derivations on Freeform for hours without being distracted.

I realized after trying a bunch of expensive distraction-free devices over the years that for me, none of them were worth it.

I hear you. I bought an iPad specifically for studying and note taking (reading textbooks, annotating, etc.) and just didn’t have many apps installed. I have ADHD and certainly can struggle with distractions on my phone, but keeping the iPad simple worked fine focus-wise.

Even so, you could just have the ipad and not install messaging apps or social media. Or turn off notifications. Or even disconnect it from the internet. Delete the wifi password so you have to manually connect it when you need to download apps or whatever.

Apple provides a fairly sophisticated set of focus modes and distraction prevention features.

> The value is in the lack of features. This is a hard concept for most people who haven't used one (or a similar device) to grasp.

Wouldn't a paper notebook be better for that? (I feel the appeal of the device, but I don't know if it's just tech lust)

My only disappointment with it is the "time to fresh sheet of paper to write on" metric. As in, a paper notebook, I can open to a section I know is empty and be able to jot something down within seconds. I can then tear it out and refile it without much hassle. There's quick sheets, but it's still too many buttons to press.