Quote:
Originally Posted by tourneur
If Kobo wants a lower priced device in their line-up they'd serve the users better by releasing a Clara 2 and dropping the price of the original Clara.
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That's not necessarily doable.
A lot of consumer electronics (TVs, Disk players, and most ereader brands) are produced in batches. One run. When the lot is done, the assembly line is dismantled and reconfigured. Any future order requires a new batch, at which point it makes more sense to build a different model, especially if the target price is different.
So Kobo many not be able to order more new Claras even if they wanted to.
When they're gone, they're gone. Any price drop woukd be inventory clearance pssibly at a loss.
It applies to the screens as much as the full product.
Remember, Kobo merely hires Netronix to design and build the things.
The batch nature of ereaders explains why the NOOK STR hung around for ages and why the Kindle DX pops up new from time to time on Amazon; boxes get lost in the warehouses and reappearing long after the product is officially discontinued. Unlike print books, unsold readers don't get returned.