Quote:
Originally Posted by Barty
People buy a $500-$800 phone (ooh it's so light, so thin! It's got chamfered edge! it's metal! it has glass on both sides! It nestles right into your hand!) then immediately slap a $10 case on it  |
True, but as I said above: a phone is a device you are more likely to have in hand when walking around or climbing stairs. I'm unlikely to be struck by the desire to dive into The House of the Seven Gables as I'm taking the stairs at work or walking to my car from Starbucks.
Phones aren't typically designed to be as comfortable to hold as an e-reader. So a case adds protection and didn't really remove much of the practical design (expert for making the phone bulkier). You aren't likely to see a phone with a design as radical add the Kindle Oasis. The closest match I can think of is the Yoga tablet.
Also, a phone is (in general) more expensive and (in my experience) more fragile than an e-reader.
I will say I don't pay to much attention to phone esthetics since you are right, they're all going to be slapped in cases on day one anyway.