Pocket PRO colors ending

[Robertb]

Dear All:

Due to minimum quantities imposed by the factory, Astak will no longer be able to offer the Pocket PRO in colors other than white or black. We HATE this... but it is necessary. Otherwise we would have to order immense quantities in advance.

This will help keep the costs down.

We still have every color in stock except the beautiful Metallic Purple at this time. We still have like 30 each of: Slate Blue, Maroon, and Pink! IF you really want one of the Pocket PROs in color... it is best to order it now as they will soon be a collector's item.

You KNOW how this pains me! You know that it was MobileRead Forum people who picked the colors. You also know that having it in colors made it successful.

It is such a shame!!

[ashdragon]

Hmm, bit of a bugger losing the choice of colour. My Peeling blue one is on it's way back for RMA, hope I can have another blue one before they are all gone but if thats not possible I can live with a black one.

I assume this will apply to the upcoming 6 inch model also, I assume they were initially gonna be in the same colour choices as the 5 Inch?

[Solicitous]

Originally Posted by ashdragon

Hmm, bit of a bugger losing the choice of colour. My Peeling blue one is on it's way back for RMA, hope I can have another blue one before they are all gone but if thats not possible I can live with a black one.

I assume this will apply to the upcoming 6 inch model also, I assume they were initially gonna be in the same colour choices as the 5 Inch?

The new 6" as far as I know is the identical housing to the existing 6", so that means your choice of colour is Black. It was only the 5" Pocket Pro that had a choice of colour (as Robert said shortly will only be Black or White).

[hch568]

I don't mind black (or a white) 6" EZ Plus as long as it will be shipped now! I'm checking the Hanlin v3+ (same as EZ Plus) and the shipping charges of that item (also the warranty and services in Taiwan). Also about the native Traditional Chinese (big5 code) support on both devices (EZ Plus and v3+).

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by ashdragon

Hmm, bit of a bugger losing the choice of colour. My Peeling blue one is on it's way back for RMA, hope I can have another blue one before they are all gone but if thats not possible I can live with a black one.

I assume this will apply to the upcoming 6 inch model also, I assume they were initially gonna be in the same colour choices as the 5 Inch?

Dear ashdragon:

Yes, losing the color choices really feels bad. People loved having them in colors (paint peeling not withstanding).

I am positive that the PLUS 6 inch will not come in real colors. It will likely be in both black and in white and that is all.

Well, at least no peeling paint issues! But, I still think that true colors make it a real pleasure!

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by hch568

I don't mind black (or a white) 6" EZ Plus as long as it will be shipped now! I'm checking the Hanlin v3+ (same as EZ Plus) and the shipping charges of that item (also the warranty and services in Taiwan). Also about the native Traditional Chinese (big5 code) support on both devices (EZ Plus and v3+).

Dear hch568:

The latest I got from the PM is we will have the EZ Reader PLUS 6 inch within 3.5 weeks. Be aware that buying it from China or Taiwan is not my advice. From what I have seen, even their version of an English User-Manual is hard understanding. Yes, it does have Traditional Chinese well covered! Much of our staff reads in Mandarin.

We invite you to email to:support@astak.com and send one paragraph of the Big 5 you prefer and we can easily tell you whether it fully supports or not. Elliott will be happy to help!

[hch568]

Thank you, Robert. I've sent a few Chinese paragraphs from a comment I'd made in another forum to the support team, and their response is fast and efficient. EZ Reader can support Traditional Chinese. But I'm still wondering about Astak's warranty policy, can't find it and the international sale link in my firefox, but the link was there when I check astak.com site in my office (using IE7). Interesting...

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Dear All:

Due to minimum quantities imposed by the factory, Astak will no longer be able to offer the Pocket PRO in colors other than white or black. We HATE this... but it is necessary. Otherwise we would have to order immense quantities in advance.



It is such a shame!!

Just another marker in the book that the Factory does not "get it"
Astak "Got it"

Apple may have started it when they broke the "Beige" mold, years ago.

Just walk into any store selling modern portable (and not so portable) Electronics.

Phones, Laptops, Media Players, even Headsets: COLOR

Black is so Henry Ford

The Factory (and Astak) need to come up with another way to Badge (brand) the products that does not require custom silk screening of the cases.
That is what requires big lots of each color for a single distributor to keep the price point.

2 tone might work. The Back and Battery cover always the same (a Neutral color), with only the front, being the custom color.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by theducks

Just another marker in the book that the Factory does not "get it"
Astak "Got it"

Apple may have started it when they broke the "Beige" mold, years ago.

Just walk into any store selling modern portable (and not so portable) Electronics.

Phones, Laptops, Media Players, even Headsets: COLOR

Black is so Henry Ford

The Factory (and Astak) need to come up with another way to Badge (brand) the products that does not require custom silk screening of the cases.
That is what requires big lots of each color for a single distributor to keep the price point.

2 tone might work. The Back and Battery cover always the same (a Neutral color), with only the front, being the custom color.

Dear Duckey:

Right now things are pretty tough. It seems SO frustrating. If I bitch too much I could get fired.

Essentially, it would seem to my small mind that a factory would want the following:

1. What feedback the seller gathers from its end users that might increase sales.
2. What the competition is doing on things like colors offered and the price they are selling at.
3. What can the factory do to compete more effectively.

In a perfect world, this would be well worth it to the factory as orders would constantly grow. I support this business model.

Therefore, with my polls on colors and what the competition is doing with colors and HOW the Pocket PRO sold nicely with colors in place... you would expect that the factory would demand that we order in colors and have no minimum per color. We should be able to say: "Give me 900 in black, 900 in Blue, 800 in White, 600 in Metallic Purple, 600 in Maroon, 400 of the new Metallic Green color, 500 of the new Silver Blue and 200 pink".

Unfortunately, wanting colors is all on our shoulders and we have to pay more plus deal with high minimums.

This seems to my brain like a case of senseless bickering that breeds no winners... and I want to win for once! Clearly I must be missing something!

[Solicitous]

Originally Posted by theducks

Just another marker in the book that the Factory does not "get it"
Astak "Got it"

Apple may have started it when they broke the "Beige" mold, years ago.

Just walk into any store selling modern portable (and not so portable) Electronics.

Phones, Laptops, Media Players, even Headsets: COLOR

Black is so Henry Ford

The Factory (and Astak) need to come up with another way to Badge (brand) the products that does not require custom silk screening of the cases.
That is what requires big lots of each color for a single distributor to keep the price point.

2 tone might work. The Back and Battery cover always the same (a Neutral color), with only the front, being the custom color.

Perhaps given the now situation of only Black and White being produced the only real option is for skins for the PP (like the Decalgirl skins, unfortunately they don't have any for the 5" or 6" Astak readers). But that could be a conceivable option.

Another potential could be (kind of redundant on the PP) but coloured silicon covers. I think after what Robert has been saying I get the strong feeling any colouring options could only be successfully done after-sale ie: people buy then change the colour.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by Solicitous

Perhaps given the now situation of only Black and White being produced the only real option is for skins for the PP (like the Decalgirl skins, unfortunately they don't have any for the 5" or 6" Astak readers). But that could be a conceivable option.

Another potential could be (kind of redundant on the PP) but coloured silicon covers. I think after what Robert has been saying I get the strong feeling any colouring options could only be successfully done after-sale ie: people buy then change the colour.

Dear Solicitous:

You always have great ideas and this is no exception. I promise I will look into Decalgirl and other skins. This might do the trick and please everybody and there is no peeling.

Thank you!!

[MaggieScratch]

Originally Posted by Solicitous

Another potential could be (kind of redundant on the PP) but coloured silicon covers.

Yes...if there were more accessories, colors wouldn't be quite as necessary!

[Xanthe]

I, frankly, am envious of people who have readers that that the decal-makers support.

[jamina1]

I wish I had the opportunity to get a color one - I bought a black one because the colors were in for retooling (peeling or something?) when I was in the market. About 2 weeks after they came back.

I really wanted a purple one. Oh well, at least mine works

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by jamina1

I wish I had the opportunity to get a color one - I bought a black one because the colors were in for retooling (peeling or something?) when I was in the market. About 2 weeks after they came back.

I really wanted a purple one. Oh well, at least mine works

Dear Jamina1:

Yes, the Metallic Purple was one different color. It was SO slow to catch on. The first three months we maybe sold ten in Metallic Purple. I think people just heard "PURPLE" and gagged!! Then, after about five months, Metallic Purple was really discovered again. All of a sufdden people said "oh my God, this is unique and beautiful".

Never worry though. Your Black Beauty will last forever and will grow on you!! In the end, over time, nobody can refute that Black stays clean!!