MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Very disappointed with the way the tech is developing.

cmdahler · 09-05-2010, 08:48 AM

The problem with eInk development and the state of the tech is that the current marketing trends with the buying public leans heavily in the multipurpose device direction, and an eInk device is really only useful for one thing. That relegates eInk to a highly niche-style market, so there just isn't much money available for R&D, so the state of the tech proceeds slowly. Design and software for these devices is likewise limited to those few companies who decide to segment a little bit of resources to this market, and of those few companies, there is really only one that pays a significant amount of attention to the detail and nuance of quality design: Sony. In the electronics and computer design markets worldwide, there are really very few companies with the resources and artistic capabilities to design a high-quality device: Samsung, Sony, and Apple. Generally speaking, everything else just looks like a toy compared to what these companies put out. Unfortunately, the market for dedicated, single-purpose ereaders is so small that two of those three have no interest in eInk device development. If Apple would put some effort in this direction with this tech, they would almost certainly produce a device that would be the end-all ereader, something that would in very short order make every other device on the market completely irrelevant. Unfortunately, Apple seems to have no interest in such a small segment of the market. For the vast majority of readers, a multipurpose device like the iPad is what they want, and Apple is happy to give it to them.

This state of the market is not going to change anytime soon. Tablets and large-screen smartphones are where the electronics industry is heading. Within 5 to 10 years, there won't really be a "smartphone" per se, just a range of tablet computers ranging from an iPhone-sized screen up to a monster 13" tablet. Everyone is fascinated with the idea of combining all of their single-purpose devices into one or two that can do everything. Dedicated single-purpose eInk ereaders face the problem of trying to swim upstream against this trend, and will thus remain a niche product for small players in the market, and consequently development will continue to proceed slowly.

09-05-2010, 08:48 AM	#9
cmdahler Addict Posts: 292 Karma: 24688 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Sony PRS-505, iPad	The problem with eInk development and the state of the tech is that the current marketing trends with the buying public leans heavily in the multipurpose device direction, and an eInk device is really only useful for one thing. That relegates eInk to a highly niche-style market, so there just isn't much money available for R&D, so the state of the tech proceeds slowly. Design and software for these devices is likewise limited to those few companies who decide to segment a little bit of resources to this market, and of those few companies, there is really only one that pays a significant amount of attention to the detail and nuance of quality design: Sony. In the electronics and computer design markets worldwide, there are really very few companies with the resources and artistic capabilities to design a high-quality device: Samsung, Sony, and Apple. Generally speaking, everything else just looks like a toy compared to what these companies put out. Unfortunately, the market for dedicated, single-purpose ereaders is so small that two of those three have no interest in eInk device development. If Apple would put some effort in this direction with this tech, they would almost certainly produce a device that would be the end-all ereader, something that would in very short order make every other device on the market completely irrelevant. Unfortunately, Apple seems to have no interest in such a small segment of the market. For the vast majority of readers, a multipurpose device like the iPad is what they want, and Apple is happy to give it to them. This state of the market is not going to change anytime soon. Tablets and large-screen smartphones are where the electronics industry is heading. Within 5 to 10 years, there won't really be a "smartphone" per se, just a range of tablet computers ranging from an iPhone-sized screen up to a monster 13" tablet. Everyone is fascinated with the idea of combining all of their single-purpose devices into one or two that can do everything. Dedicated single-purpose eInk ereaders face the problem of trying to swim upstream against this trend, and will thus remain a niche product for small players in the market, and consequently development will continue to proceed slowly.