Quote:
Originally Posted by FJames
The "limited edition" thing might have been aimed at the business investment market rather than customers. The consumer market for dedicated e-readers has been falling lately, and investors are getting a bit edgy about companies too specialized in that field. If Kobo introduced a new mainline model at a higher price level and it bombed, they would be trashed by investors. So make it look like a limited test of market preferences rather than an unwise gamble on the future...
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I'd agree with this if they were still a small "independent" company, but as part of Rakuten I don't think this matters to them that much anymore.
I think they were going for a bit of a niche market with a bigger screen (and perhaps testing the waters a bit) and maybe have been rather pleasantly surprised by the uptake. This could also be like the classic Disney movies that periodically come out for a bit then get pulled (in order to drive perceived need).
I find the extra size makes for a really nice reading experience, although the weight/balance isn't nearly a nice as the older readers.