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There seems to be a general consensus here that:
a) There is a market, but not at the exorbitant price of USD 1,000 per unit
b) Economies of scale (number of units sold) must be increased in order to achieve a price decrease
c) The major cost element is the screen.
If this is true (and I think it is), then manufacturers would do well to squeeze as much functionality into the device as possible. Having followed the discussions on MobileRead for a few years now, I recall the following potential uses for a large e-ink device:
1. E-reader: superb pdf support but also other e-book formats such as epub, mobi, etc.
2. Digital notepad: wacom digitiser and software functionality
3. External monitor: ability to connect to a pc in a plug-and-play fashion
4. Musical score display: ability to connect a device to allow turning pages with a pedal.
(If I missed something, feel free to comment).
So far, we are seeing (or hearing rumors of) 13-inch e-ink devices from Sony, Pocketbook, Onyx, Netronix, and DaSung, yet none of them seem to have recognised that a single-purpose device in this category just won't sell.
In my opinion, Netronics has a good chance by using open Android - this takes care of the software side. Question is, will they have the foresight to add the hardware elements needed for the functions above (e.g. ports), and to do the marketing right?
Any thoughts?
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