Edible Apple

A new bookmarking feature in Safari will offer users the ability to save websites for later reading, a feature which might pit Apple’s browser in direct competition with popular apps like Instapaper. The feature is called “Reading List” and Apple describes it thusly:

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.

As it stands now, the feature is built into the latest build of OS X lion, but is currently hidden and inactive. The icon for the feature is a pair of nerdy reading glasses.

According to MacRumors, Reading List appears to be based on HTML and javascript. Apple, however, has yet to address the feature directly in any OS X 10.7 Lion documentation. It’ll be interesting to see if the feature will allow synchronization across iOS devices, much like the aforementioned Instapaper and other apps like ReadItLater.