Quote:
Originally Posted by stonetools
I think the only step forward for the Kindle would be a touch screen interface. Other than, there really isn't much you can do with eink reader hardware design , IMO. I hear quite a few complaints, though, about Kindle software- making the Collections feature better, etc.
In the end, I think we may be seeing if not the last generation of eink readers, at least the NEXT to last generation. People seem to want more than just the ability to read plain text really well in bright light on their mobile devices.
|
The touchscreen thing is controversial. For some, touchscreen is a deal killer. It's not a technological evolution (Amazon could have done it by now), but a navigation design change, and one that for many is not welcome.
Maybe they're endangered, I dunno, but people wanting more than the ability to read plain text doesn't mean they want it from their dedicated device. They want it, but they want it elsewhere. Just because I want something for making phone calls, doesn't mean I want it incorporated into my shoes.
Lets not forget that e-ink is a
newer technology, developed to address LCD's shortcomings. It wasn't developed for lack of being able to make an LCD reader. Amazon could have made a $400 reader (the cost of the K1) with a low powered cpu and an LCD; if they had, ebooks would be probably be dying a slow death right now instead of growing at 300% per year. Readers' medium of choice is still
paper, so I don't see all those people skipping over a device that simulates that experience for one that does not. Basically, e-ink will die when reading dies, or when some new display tech can address both uses acceptably. Granted, one or both of those may happen. imo.