[Jmirko]

Reading the posts I have a couple of questions lurking in my mind:
1. How revolutionary is the Sony Mobius device?
2. What does it take for it to be successful?

Here are my thoughts:

1. I would argue that this device is great, but not all that different from what we have seen before. Large e-ink readers like the Entourage Edge, the Irex DR1000, the Pocketbook 9-series, the Onyx Boox M92, or the Hanvon Wisereader E920 have been around for years - all of these support handwriting. Sure, 13.3 is larger than 9.7 but is that really what prevented those devices from going mainstream? I don't think so. I think that most A4 documents are perfectly legible on a high resolution A5 screen (without margins). The weight is also very similar. The durability provided by the flexible screen is welcome, but it is really necessitated by the large size itself. I don't think that a 10-inch reader (with a traditional, glass screen) in a leather cover is particularly vulnerable to breakage. Touch + wacom? Agan, wonderful, just like in the Hanvon E920 which came out over 2 years ago.

2. So, if the Sony Mobius device is not all that different, how can Sony make it successful, i.e. sell it in large quantities?
- To get the obvious out of the way: price. My feeling is that the price will be around USD 600, and that it will not sell in large numbers. In my opinion, it does not matter whether the buyers are individuals or schools or companies - all three are price-sensitive. Companies already provide their employees with laptops and smartphones, and will be reluctant to buy and maintain a third type of gadget unless it's cheap enough that the marginal increase in productivity is worth it. With schools, it's the same story - as someone has calculated above, the return on investment at USD 500 is marginal, even with a 3-year life - and I think the average life of such a device will be closer to half that. Individuals will always compare such a device with versatile color tablets and conclude that they are not worth the same - this is especially so as wacom stylus support will be the new standard in high-end tablets (in my opinion). I think the price should be around USD 250 for it to sell well – I think we all agree that this will not happen for the next few years.
- Worldwide availability and market presence in U.S. and EU. Most of the devices I listed above have a very low profile in developed markets. Try to buy a Hanvon E920 (arguably the most advanced large e-ink device in the world) and you'll see what I mean. I have never seen a large e-ink reader in any major electronics store in Europe. Before someone mentions China and Russia: I cannot imagine that people there have the money to buy such expensive devices in huge numbers.
- Marketing/advertising. Even if available, people won't flock to buy these tablets - they are not sexy-colorful Ipads that sell themselves. It's not enough for them to be announced on Engadget and Gizmodo. The manufacturers need to find the target market and advertise intensively, to make it „the thing to have” in school and office environments.
- If all those hurdles are cleared, then I should mention decent support for a simple handwriting workflow (write - save – edit - search – backup - retrieve). It sounds so simple... but in my opinion, all of the current devices fail in one way or another. I really hope Sony finally gets it right.

Your thoughts?