The difference, as far as I see it, is that Pocket makes being free a selling point, whereas Instapaper users are used to paying for features. Instapaper can continue to exist without substantially shifting business models for the foreseeable future - Pocket can't.
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It's pretty disingenuous to equate the two that way.
There's no reason to believe that Instapaper won't or doesn't already do everything that you're suggesting Pocket could do.
As it stands:
Pocket (Free), Instapaper ($3.99/$2.99)
Pocket (No ads), Instapaper (ads)
Pocket (Free API), Instapaper (Subscription fee for some API functions)
The difference, as far as I see it, is that Pocket makes being free a selling point, whereas Instapaper users are used to paying for features. Instapaper can continue to exist without substantially shifting business models for the foreseeable future - Pocket can't.
Unless I'm missing something?