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brecklundin · 06-15-2010, 02:04 AM

You can already get a Kindle for $100 off if you sign up for a 1-yr Audible subscription at $14.95/mo. So we each got out K2i's for $159 a piece as we still have separate households. We also would have gotten new Audible accounts this year anyway so it is not out of the realm of reasonable that this could easily be accomplished.

And Dulin, love ya man, but I ain't buying into the cost of a 5" panel STILL being $50-$60 after, what, 2-3yrs since the iSuppli teardown cost of the Kindle (I think it was the K2) placed whole sale cost of a 6" panel at $60 back then. I simply am not able to accept the costs are still that high. If so, then that is a shame. Before I am willing to accept your cost for the panel as accurate I need to see real data that can be substantiated.

I have also been curious about how the panels are produced, meaning can different sized "master sheets" of panels be produced then cut down to yield an optimum number of device sized panels for the production hardware. If the mfg has not become significantly more efficient in their production process by this point in the game it's a shame on them and I suspect a signal that this tech is at a dead end. Such a scenario just goes against everything we have ever experienced in the tech field. I mean it smacks of publishers whinging about the "high cost" of reformatting back catalog, or new, titles being the reason for higher ebook prices. Just sets off my crap detector is all.

If production flexibility is significantly rigid and for some reason they can only produce a couple sizes of master panel sheets, it could very well be the case there is a lower per sheet yield for 5" reader panels compared to 6" panels making the cost of a 5" panel higher. So, if that is the case, more than a few engineers need to be fired.

But my money is on the ever increasing assembly line efficiency on the manufacturing end of these screens/panels. I mean if efficiency has not at least doubled from 2-3 yrs ago, then the e-ink brand tech is indeed at a dead end in terms of viable consumer product. This is especially true considering the competing brands of reader panels that have been demonstrated over the past 6-9 months.

06-15-2010, 02:04 AM	#8
brecklundin Banned Posts: 1,906 Karma: 15348 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: mine	You can already get a Kindle for $100 off if you sign up for a 1-yr Audible subscription at $14.95/mo. So we each got out K2i's for $159 a piece as we still have separate households. We also would have gotten new Audible accounts this year anyway so it is not out of the realm of reasonable that this could easily be accomplished. And Dulin, love ya man, but I ain't buying into the cost of a 5" panel STILL being $50-$60 after, what, 2-3yrs since the iSuppli teardown cost of the Kindle (I think it was the K2) placed whole sale cost of a 6" panel at $60 back then. I simply am not able to accept the costs are still that high. If so, then that is a shame. Before I am willing to accept your cost for the panel as accurate I need to see real data that can be substantiated. I have also been curious about how the panels are produced, meaning can different sized "master sheets" of panels be produced then cut down to yield an optimum number of device sized panels for the production hardware. If the mfg has not become significantly more efficient in their production process by this point in the game it's a shame on them and I suspect a signal that this tech is at a dead end. Such a scenario just goes against everything we have ever experienced in the tech field. I mean it smacks of publishers whinging about the "high cost" of reformatting back catalog, or new, titles being the reason for higher ebook prices. Just sets off my crap detector is all. If production flexibility is significantly rigid and for some reason they can only produce a couple sizes of master panel sheets, it could very well be the case there is a lower per sheet yield for 5" reader panels compared to 6" panels making the cost of a 5" panel higher. So, if that is the case, more than a few engineers need to be fired. But my money is on the ever increasing assembly line efficiency on the manufacturing end of these screens/panels. I mean if efficiency has not at least doubled from 2-3 yrs ago, then the e-ink brand tech is indeed at a dead end in terms of viable consumer product. This is especially true considering the competing brands of reader panels that have been demonstrated over the past 6-9 months.