[above screenshot in portrait mode]
If there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that Marco Arment doesn’t kid around when it comes to user interface. And I’m not just talking about pretty icons here. Right from day one, Arment has been extremely careful about what does or does not make its way into the user interface, and it has resulted in absolute perfection in his application.
The first version of Instapaper for the iPad was designed using a simulator, so he pretty much copied what he did on the iPhone, promising to get things just right after he had a device to test it on. And what a world of a difference that made. As soon as he got his hands on one, he quickly realised that a white background is a tad bit too bright, that the text is too wide, and tapping at the bottom for next page is not the right way.
Version 2.2.3 is mostly a user interface fix. The tab bar goes to the top, and blends in with the rest of the page, which now sports a light brown tan. Text layout is much tighter now (you can adjust it with the settings pop up). The settings pop up allows you to switch between light and dark modes, and even has a brightness control much like the iBooks app!
Needless to say, this is a great application, with a stupendous user interface, and great price—$4.99 for the universal version. If you have an iPad, and have learnt the art of reading, this is a must have app on your home screen.