Quote:
Originally Posted by DMcCunney
Would you buy a $99 Kindle that didn't use an eInk screen?
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Dennis
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Yes, under 3 conditions:
1- 5-8 in screen
2- All-day battery (12+ hrs, preferably 16)
3- 8 oz maximum weight
In other words, it has to be competitive with existing eink products and/or offer a compelling benefit. (Jetbooks prove it can be done, more or less.)
Emissive LCD panels tend to be cheap because there is a large market for them in portable DVD players and, to a lesser extent, GPS units. Webpads are taking advantage of this and should drive the cost down a bit more.
The downside of LCDs is they are heavy (glass substrate, polarization layers, etc) and power hungry. Reflective LCDs are lighter and a bit less power-hungry but also rarer as there are few other uses for them.
Combine the need for bigger batteries with the need to protect the large glass panel and you tend to get heavier devices.
I think the future of eInk readers is directly tied to the manufacturers' ability to transition to plastic substrate more than their ability offer color. Plastic-based panels will result in thinner, lighter, less fragile readers; the kind of display suitable for young children. If they can simultaneously deliver color they will flourish.
(BTW, I do see an eink reader hitting $99 list price by XMAS 2011 once single-chip readers hit the market, but it probably won't be a kindle.)