MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Why are large e-ink ereaders so costly?

charmian · 02-01-2012, 03:58 AM

The Kindle DX costs $379, which is around the same price as some of the Android tablets (like the Asus Transformer) around that size. Given that e-ink readers have less powerful processors, less storage, no GPS or camera, etc., why is this so?

1) Large e-ink screens are much more expensive than LCD screens.
2) There isn't that much demand for large e-ink readers, so not many are produced, and lack of economies of scale keep prices high.
3) There isn't much competition in the large e-ink reader market, so prices remain high.

02-01-2012, 03:58 AM	#1
charmian Addict Posts: 386 Karma: 1814548 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kindle 3, Kindle PW2	Why are large e-ink ereaders so costly? The Kindle DX costs $379, which is around the same price as some of the Android tablets (like the Asus Transformer) around that size. Given that e-ink readers have less powerful processors, less storage, no GPS or camera, etc., why is this so? 1) Large e-ink screens are much more expensive than LCD screens. 2) There isn't that much demand for large e-ink readers, so not many are produced, and lack of economies of scale keep prices high. 3) There isn't much competition in the large e-ink reader market, so prices remain high.