[NatCh]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Q: Will iRex continue to support the iLiad with new firmware?
A: We will continue to support the iLiad but we have no immediate plans to add new functionalities.

So, I think "no immediate plans to add new functionalities" is a mistake. They should be planning updates to this product if it is still being sold. Support for booksmarks in Mobi reader makes perfect sense. Also, support of the ePub format would be nice.

You can't say "we still sell the iLiad" and then basically say it is a "legacy" device. Legacy means to me not sold or updated any more but supported.

That could (and I stress could) be an example of poor translation, or they may have phrased it badly (you'd think in a written FAQ they'd be careful about phrasing though). They might mean to say that they aren't adding features, without meaning they don't intend to continue to develop existing features.

... Or they might be doing exactly as you're concerned they are.

Originally Posted by henrikb

I'm referring to pretty much any trade show / industry conference open to public. It's not usual to show the product a week prior to launch.

Okay, can you give me a specific example?

I can give you a few specific counter examples:

• Sony PRS500: we knew it was coming, but not when exactly, they didn't announce that until the actual day it went on sale.
• Sony PRS505: we didn't know it was coming until the day it went on sale.
• Kindle: despite the leaked FCC filing, we didn't know it was coming until the day it went on sale. In fact in the days right before launch there was heated debate here as to whether it even existed.
• The iLiad Book version: again, no word until it was ready to go.
• And of course the DR series.

Actually, iRex did tell us the V2 was coming ahead of time, so they've actually been more communicative than other players.

Originally Posted by henrikb

I meant that the change from the first to second generation of products is generally larger than from the eight to ninth. And iLiad --> DR is an example of the former.

Okay, I see what you're saying: that there ought to be a bigger jump between the iLiad and the DR series.

Okay, I agree that there is arguably not that much difference between them ... of course if there's not that big a jump, then there's not as much lost by having the iLiad vs. the DR.

On the other hand, viewing (as I do) the DR series as professional devices, the extra features that are just so much bragware for a reader are in themselves quite large improvements over the iLiad as a professional device. In my opinion, of course.

Originally Posted by henrikb

I'm saying that the wireless feature of the iLiad was useless (you can only do iLiad software updates), the audio output wasn't used etc. And the reader itself is poor - bookmarks and in-between document switching should be there. Any professional reviewer would say the same. It's an unfinished beta.

I'd agree with that myself, actually ... but that kinda goes along with iRex's B2B focus, doesn't it? They intended to sell the iLiad to other companies, for those companies to put their own software on them. The fact that that never really happened doesn't retroactively change the original intent of the device.

I'd suggest that fiddling around with trying to meet individual customer needs took resources away from pursuing their original B2B plan, and certainly had some impact on its not coming to be, whether that was a deciding factor or not, I couldn't guess.

Originally Posted by henrikb

The committed support has materialized in the form that they confirmed that they won't add further functionalities. Hence, it will remain an unfinished beta.

At the risk of sounding obnoxious (which I don't mean to do), I can only conclude that you felt that the iLiad was finished enough for your purposes, or you wouldn't have bought it. I don't think it's ever a good idea to buy things based on what might develop for them later.

I remember when my mother was looking at buying one of the first e-Macs: I recommended that she not do so because the only connectors on the fool thing were USB -- at the time there were no USB peripherals. As it turned out, USB peripherals have come to be (and how!), but there wasn't anything at that time except an expectation of them. Obviously Apple was willing to bet on them, but they didn't have all that great a track record at that time so I wasn't willing to suggest my mother place her bets with theirs. As it was, it took several years for things to settle out and prove the USB thing to be a good notion, and Apple had another model (or two?) out in the meantime.

Originally Posted by henrikb

Even though it may be no shocker, I'm in my full right to complain when things are unfair. They should dedicate some resources to fix the basic stuff for the iLiad and indicate launch earlier next time.

Absolutely you do!

I didn't mean to suggest that you didn't have that right! And I apologize if I seemed to do so, it was not my intention at all.

Of course, I also have the right to express a different opinion of the situation, and we're having a healthy discussion of the situation as a result.

Originally Posted by henrikb

They are saying that they will support it, but not add further functionalities - which is what support of the iLiad requires apart from also fixing the ones that are broken. Hence, I won't call it support. Hopefully, a proper release will come.

There's some room in their statement to improve the existing functions, but I think your doubts on that point are probably well founded.

I will say that if they really do intend to continue selling iLiads, they're going to have to demonstrate some genuine support for the line, otherwise folks will decide it's discontinued (in fact if not name), and stop buying them.