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Because the Eink screen is a low-power device it is suitable for advertising, where other display types are not. If the demand for this type of advertising display becomes great enough, the cost of EPD screens will drop below that of LCD and other types of screens that draw more power.
There are microcontrollers available that are very inexpensive and contain the various controllers (USB, display, bluetooth, etc.) so that the manufacturing cost of a reader need not be very high. The non-recurring development expenses of a reader will get lower each year as more open-source efforts are bent toward making reader functionality available on free operating systems.
You can buy a pocket calculator for about five bucks at discount stores. You can get pocket organizers very cheaply too. I can see the day when bookstores will sell blister pack readers alongside a browsable display of ebooks. Buy 12 books and get a reader free!
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