[rcentros]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I say that because it is. The Aura Ed 2 is a subpar reader that was dinged in all reviews for being behind the times when compared to the similarly priced offerings from Kindle and Nook. Here's the titles from the first three reviews that had more in their title than 'Aura Edition 2 Review':

It’s better than Amazon’s baseline Kindle, but it’s a lot more expensive

Kobo Aura Edition 2 is Going to Be a Total Flop

Kobo Aura Edition 2 Review 2017 • A Few Steps Back?

At $99, the Aura Edition 2 feels like it is priced correctly. At $120-ish, why should I buy that when I can get the nicer Paperwhite or Glowlight 3?

Apparently, Kobo agrees, hence the release of the Clara, which is a nice reader that can better compete with the current Paperwhite and Glowlight.

Well, the second review (the "total flop" one) seems to be mostly contradicted by the same reviewer once he had the device in hand a couple months later.

https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/20...o-walkthrough/

It looks like the main complaints with the Aura was that it was a "step back" from the original Aura. I haven't – personally – held one or used one so I can only go by the specs.

Comparing the Aura 2 specs to the Kindle Basic ... 212 ppi vs 167 ppi, Carta screen vs Pearl screen, front lighting, (now) direct borrowing from Overdrive and smaller (slightly) then the Basic. Advantage for the Kindle Basic, Bluetooth and Audible capabilities.

Comparing the Aura 2 specs to the Paperwhite ... 212 ppi vs 300 ppi, Aura 2 is lighter and smaller, the Aura 2 now has direct borrowing from Overdrive, the Aura 2 does not come with ads.

But beyond this ... other considerations. Amazon enjoys its near monopoly control of the eBook market in the United States. This Walmart move has the potential to threaten that (or least cut into their sales). The Paperwhite is due for a refresh anyhow (I'm guessing Bluetooth and a night light feature, plus a smaller size) and that will leave them with a perfectly serviceable Paperwhite 3 (older technology) – so they could drop it's price to $99 (like they did with the Kindle touch when the original Paperwhite came out).

It's all speculation, but I expect to see $99 Paperwhites (it's still $119 if you want get rid of the ads).