Apple's Upcoming ‘Reading List’ for Safari to Compete with Instapaper and ReadItLater
Apple is working on a new feature for Safari in Apple's Mac OS X Lion that will bring a different kind of bookmarking functionality to the browser. Apple calls it “Reading List” and is meant to offer users a way to save pages for later reading.
Context & Ripple Effects
Instapaper had already established a dedicated read-later experience on the iPad and was testing subscriptions, as covered in its iPad preview and subscription test. Apple’s plan to place a save-for-later tool inside Safari in Mac OS X Lion brings that use case into the browser itself, making distribution rather than simple bookmarking the competitive issue.
First-order effects
- Safari users in Mac OS X Lion gain a built-in way to save web pages for later, reducing the need to install a separate service for that basic task.
- Instapaper faces direct feature competition from Apple at the point where users encounter articles: the browser.
Second-order effects
- Instapaper’s subscription test becomes more consequential because paid differentiation must rest on capabilities beyond Safari’s included save-for-later function.
- Safari’s addition raises the bar for other read-later products seeking Mac users: they must justify another app or service alongside a browser-native option.
Third-order effects
- If browser makers absorb read-later features, standalone services are likely to compete less on capturing links and more on the reading experience, organization, and paid value around saved material.
The trend: Read-later functionality is moving from standalone apps toward browser-integrated features, shifting competition from access to differentiation.