Apple's Upcoming 'Reading List' for Safari to Compete with Instapaper and ReadItLater

212649 reading4

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. The new feature is described by Apple here:

Reading List lets you collect webpages and links for you to read later. To add the current page to your Reading List, click Add Page. You can also Shift-click a link to quickly add it to the list. To hide and show Reading List, click the Reading List icon (eyeglasses) in the bookmarks bar.

And the accompanying eyeglasses icon:

210210 icon

This feature is currently inactive and hidden within the latest Mac OS X Lion builds. Apple has not yet made any mention of the feature in any of their Mac OS X Lion documentation. The basic functionality would pit the feature directly against popular services such as Instapaper and ReadItLater. Apple's implementation appears to be partly based on HTML/js but it's not yet clear how robust a solution it will be. For example, one compelling feature of Instapaper and ReadItLater is the ability the synchronization of bookmarks across devices.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 Pro Clear Case Leak Reveals Three Key Changes

Sunday August 31, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface. The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple's Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas. Image Credit: @MajinBuOfficial The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple's iP...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

iPhone 17 Pro: 5 Reasons Not to Upgrade This Year

Monday September 1, 2025 4:35 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series this month, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming to...
xiaomi apple ad india

Apple and Samsung Push Back Against Xiaomi's Bold India Ads

Friday August 29, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple and Samsung have reportedly issued cease-and-desist notices to Xiaomi in India for an ad campaign that directly compares the rivals' devices to Xiaomi's products. The two companies have threatened the Chinese vendor with legal action, calling the ads "disparaging." Ads have appeared in local print media and on social media that take pot shots at the competitors' premium offerings. One...
iOS 18 on iPhone Arrow Down

Apple Preparing iOS 18.7 for iPhones as iOS 26 Release Date Nears

Sunday August 31, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 18.7 for compatible iPhone models, according to evidence of the update in the MacRumors visitor logs. We expect iOS 18.7 to be released in September, alongside iOS 26. The update will likely include fixes for security vulnerabilities, but little else. iOS 18.7 will be one of the final updates ever released for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR,...

Top Rated Comments

Cougarcat Avatar
187 months ago
How about allowing us to read iBooks on the computer, Apple?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arn Avatar
187 months ago
ya, just from what we've seen so far, I'm not sure this is going to be as fully featured a thing as the 3rd party apps. cross-device syncing is a pretty big feature actually. so, it may help bring awareness to instapaper and readitlater. but we don't know the final features I guess.

Now if Apple includes MobileMe/iCloud syncing/centralization, it would be more worrisome.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Consultant Avatar
187 months ago
Or just open 100 tabs in Safari like I do.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Matthew Yohe Avatar
187 months ago
I am sure Marco won't be very happy with this.
He's already said it's not an issue.


For once, he will consider going webOS and android.
Developing on Android is a joke. Maybe when it doesn't suck so bad, he'll consider it.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JKK photography Avatar
187 months ago
ya, just from what we've seen so far, I'm not sure this is going to be as fully featured a thing as the 3rd party apps. cross-device syncing is a pretty big feature actually. so, it may help bring awareness to instapaper and readitlater. but we don't know the final features I guess.

Now if Apple includes MobileMe/iCloud syncing/centralization, it would be more worrisome.

I'm sure that if they did that, then he would probably look into moving into less Apple-centric markets (webOS, WP7, and possibly Android) so to avoid the Apple solution as much as possible.

Either way, Instapaper has a major heads-up as long as Apple doesn't release an API for apps to implement. Sending articles from Reeder on my iPhone to Instapaper is so simple, it's silly. If Apple can't compete there, it can't compete with Instapaper (for me).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KirkL Avatar
187 months ago
That's so cool! How's the stability of Safari in Lion? It beachballs all the time in Snow Leopard.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)