Struggling with reading, productivity and disconnection

I'm spitballing here but, maybe an android device like the BOOX Palma 2 might be worth looking into. I'm with you on the whole separation of devices. Far too easy to dive out of something and check notifications etc. It's a constant battle with me, deleting apps, reinstalling them, setting different focus's.

That might be worth looking at though, set a focus for just reading. You can lock it to a homescreen you compose of kindle and your note taking app, silence all other alerts which basically locks your device down into a single use one... The issue is, of course, you can unlock it.

If that one device can do what I need, then I'm not about to spend money on something just for that sense of separation. I use different focus modes depending on just how cut off from interruption I need to be. Different activities pull me in. If I'm writing, that's what I'm doing until something worthwhile or necessary interrups me. Focus modes and thoughtful notifications settings make all the difference. Those scheduled summaries are fantastic for ditching fear of missing out. Put any apps whose interruptions aren't immediately useful into the next scheduled summary and go into the notifications centre at your convenience. Once I got all of that set, there have been far fewer derailments of trains of thought.
The Kindle app works wonderfully on the iPhone. I switch between that, Audible, or another reading app to whereever I want my ideas. Ulysses remains my writing app of choice. Drafts is awesome, but I've been won over by the Notes app. The Notes app has really gotten to be first class. Now that you can collapse and expand content under headings, I'm slowly moving notes into single master notes on various aspects of life such as larger projects.

Kindle for PC works extremely well last time I tried it, it's a different thing for the web reader though.

If you are seeking a dedicated reading device, have you considered something like what Amazon has to offer, such as a Kindle Scribe? Admittedly, I am not sure how accessible the, "Scribe", part of these devices are, but this device is designed to allow you to take notes from directly within the app/book, as you are reading along.
might be worth considering. :-)

There is no speaker on the scribe and, as far as I know, no method of writing on the scribe that is accessible.

Regarding focus. I think we all have differing levels of concentration/temptation. My attention span is a little better than when I was younger, but we've all got varying thresholds of how easily we are distracted.

A single device for each function, though expensive, is more of a natural state for me. I'd love to have a kindle purely for reading, leaving my phone elsewhere. There Is something comforting and clean about such separation.

Saying that, I think the cost of specialist devices is nuts. The Victor Reader, for example, is ridiculous. Better to by a secondhand iPhone, even an iPad and a decent bluetooth speaker for the same price. You'll get better support and better longevity.

This is an interesting conversation actually. Thinking about stripping down my iPad mini for just this sort of thing.

I was having this exact problem in terms of the VO curser leaping around like an overgafinated squirrel. So much so that I was actually considering selling my iPad.
The solution, however, is to go into accessibility settings, down to keyboard, and make sure that "full keyboard access" is turned off. This makes sure that the keyboard is only registering VoiceOver input, full keyboard access seems to interfere with how the keyboard functions with VO.
This has sorted out the random jumps, the space bar always jumping me away from the text and into the status bar or God knows where. Now VoiceOver acts as it should, not like a squirrel on 5 shots of espresso. I can arrow through text fine, I can press space and have a space inserted, it's a much nicer experience.
Hope this works for you.

I don't own an ipad but I have a strong feeling that this should be highlighted more. Given the complaints I've read here I don't think a lot of people know this.
In Quebec we can be granted the vr stream by ramq, given the recent chaos with voicedream reader, I don't own it now but I'm happy these devices exist. Plus most of the real experience is offline first so if you replace the battery they can aged well if taken care of.

When I get a second, I think I’m going to write a blog on it. Seems as though most people have no idea why there iPad leaps around like a toddler on a sugar high. I also think I might also write some productivity guides as well. I really do think the iPad can be used for such things, I just think people have-no idea where to start, because Apple’s documentation, once more, is sorely lacking…

So it looks like I misspoke in my post above, regarding the Kindle scribe. Did not realize that it's Bluetooth capability was exclusive only to audible content. Seems like a waste to me, especially considering its price.
However, Amazon has a device that might meet your needs. It's called the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition.
It's described as a sleep e-book reader, with many of the accessibility functions that your iPhone has, such as a screen reader, dark mode settings, different lighting and font features for the low vision folks out there, etc. It also is water resistant, and has Wireless charging. More info below.
https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/amazon-kindle-paperwhite-signature-edition-2024

The Kindle app for Windows works great. I much prefer reading using that with my Braille display rather than using the Kindle app on my phone + Braille display to read. You could get a good trade-in deal at Microsoft if you trade in the iPad, too.