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To replace the consumer instructions, e-paper must be cost competitive. An e-book is one application supporting the highest cost, thus the number of old, current and, new products out there. The less the e-book costs, the less consumers will fret over its operating life. E-paper applications have to save someone money before the technologies are widely adopted.
Until e-paper is made roll-to-roll, it will only hold a niche market and will be forced to compete directly with inflexible versions of LCDs and OLEDs. In my mind, electro-phoretic displays need to be nearly as cheep as paper if e-Ink can't get full color and fast response time.
If Plastic Logic succeeds in making stable, roll-to-roll TFT or diode substrates, I suspect a number of asian companies would line up for licenses, or contribute to a joint venture.
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