MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - For how long do you intend to use your DR?

bob_ninja · 10-21-2008, 08:28 AM

Year ago when Cybook came out I asked this question for it:
Poll

To me when trying to justify a certain price I want to know how long a product will last. If it lasts 2x longer I can justify 2x greater price. Of course, there are many other factors. Clearly DR adds several great improvements over Cybook, hence higher price makes sense. Still, if I cannot enjoy these great features for many years then is the high price really justified?

Battery and runtime is a hot topic these days. Few times I asked about the ability to replace it, yet no simple option has been offered by anyone yet. IRex simply states that a unit must be sent to them to replace battery. Of course, I have no clue how much that costs, plus shipping costs ....

By now it is clear that DR battery works hard, is often under considerable load. We have a powerful CPU, complex PDFs to render, Wacom. I won't even talk about wireless here. Therefore chances are DR battery won't last a very long time.

While there are many factors involved, I will attempt a very rough estimates. I assume standby/hibernate are implemented bringing the current 6 hour runtime up to say 12 hours. Again, this is a rough estimate so at any point if you don't like my factors just change them and recalculate.

Medium reader = 4 hrs / day = 3 days / battery cycle
365 / 3 = 121 cycles / year

It is very hard to tell how many cycles it will last, as there are again many factors and different Lithium chemistries used in batteries. I will go with a somwehat conservative 600 cycles:

600 / 121 = 5 years

This is the typical general rule that a battery will last about 5 years. Note that DR might still function thereafter if plugged in at all times. Of course, that defeats the mobility feature.

Thus I finally come to the point. DR100S costs "US$749.00" (I am in North America). If it is expected to last only about 5 years (again try different assumptions for your own case if you don't like these) then is the cost justified?

Personally I don't mind paying more (in comparison to other cheaper readers) when I am getting significant functionality I desire that I can enjoy for a long time (10+ years). I don't like changing my gadgets too often.

Assuming iRex does support DR for 10+ years and does offer battery replacement service, it would cost me:
Bookeen charges $45 for a similar battery
Shipping I am guessing about $30
Labor ?????
Taxes ????
Total over $100 every 5 years

If I pay so much upfront for the device then I really don't like having additional ongoing costs like this.

Anyway what do you think?

10-21-2008, 08:28 AM	#1
bob_ninja Addict Posts: 208 Karma: 582 Join Date: Aug 2006 Device: Zire71	For how long do you intend to use your DR? Year ago when Cybook came out I asked this question for it: Poll To me when trying to justify a certain price I want to know how long a product will last. If it lasts 2x longer I can justify 2x greater price. Of course, there are many other factors. Clearly DR adds several great improvements over Cybook, hence higher price makes sense. Still, if I cannot enjoy these great features for many years then is the high price really justified? Battery and runtime is a hot topic these days. Few times I asked about the ability to replace it, yet no simple option has been offered by anyone yet. IRex simply states that a unit must be sent to them to replace battery. Of course, I have no clue how much that costs, plus shipping costs .... By now it is clear that DR battery works hard, is often under considerable load. We have a powerful CPU, complex PDFs to render, Wacom. I won't even talk about wireless here. Therefore chances are DR battery won't last a very long time. While there are many factors involved, I will attempt a very rough estimates. I assume standby/hibernate are implemented bringing the current 6 hour runtime up to say 12 hours. Again, this is a rough estimate so at any point if you don't like my factors just change them and recalculate. Medium reader = 4 hrs / day = 3 days / battery cycle 365 / 3 = 121 cycles / year It is very hard to tell how many cycles it will last, as there are again many factors and different Lithium chemistries used in batteries. I will go with a somwehat conservative 600 cycles: 600 / 121 = 5 years This is the typical general rule that a battery will last about 5 years. Note that DR might still function thereafter if plugged in at all times. Of course, that defeats the mobility feature. Thus I finally come to the point. DR100S costs "US$749.00" (I am in North America). If it is expected to last only about 5 years (again try different assumptions for your own case if you don't like these) then is the cost justified? Personally I don't mind paying more (in comparison to other cheaper readers) when I am getting significant functionality I desire that I can enjoy for a long time (10+ years). I don't like changing my gadgets too often. Assuming iRex does support DR for 10+ years and does offer battery replacement service, it would cost me: Bookeen charges $45 for a similar battery Shipping I am guessing about $30 Labor ????? Taxes ???? Total over $100 every 5 years If I pay so much upfront for the device then I really don't like having additional ongoing costs like this. Anyway what do you think?