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Shaggy · 06-10-2010, 02:45 PM

I think some of their biggest problems is that the company originally did not intend to sell finished devices to end users. They were setup around a core group of display engineers and wanted to sell that technology to other device manufacturers. Most of the first Generation eInk devices (Sony, Amazon, etc) all contained iRex display hardware in them.

Their original plan with the iLiad was to create a superior hardware device and put out a framework firmware and an SDK so that other companies could customize it for their particular market and then be resellers. Initially, iRex didn't plan on selling the iLiad to consumers, nor did they really have the necessary infrastructure in place to support selling it themselves. Things like the eFlyBook were their main focus.

http://www.eflybook.com/

Once they did change their focus and try to get into selling their own finished devices, they never seemed able to figure out exactly how to do it well. Probably a lot of that had to do with the people who started the company never set the company up that way and didn't necessarily understand what it takes to successfully market and support an end user device.

I think this is where a lot of their issues with unfulfilled software promises and customer support problems come from.

My personal opinion of them is that they have a technically superior device, but don't understand well how to sell it.

06-10-2010, 02:45 PM	#57
Shaggy Wizard Posts: 4,293 Karma: 529619 Join Date: May 2007 Device: iRex iLiad, DR800SG	I think some of their biggest problems is that the company originally did not intend to sell finished devices to end users. They were setup around a core group of display engineers and wanted to sell that technology to other device manufacturers. Most of the first Generation eInk devices (Sony, Amazon, etc) all contained iRex display hardware in them. Their original plan with the iLiad was to create a superior hardware device and put out a framework firmware and an SDK so that other companies could customize it for their particular market and then be resellers. Initially, iRex didn't plan on selling the iLiad to consumers, nor did they really have the necessary infrastructure in place to support selling it themselves. Things like the eFlyBook were their main focus. http://www.eflybook.com/ Once they did change their focus and try to get into selling their own finished devices, they never seemed able to figure out exactly how to do it well. Probably a lot of that had to do with the people who started the company never set the company up that way and didn't necessarily understand what it takes to successfully market and support an end user device. I think this is where a lot of their issues with unfulfilled software promises and customer support problems come from. My personal opinion of them is that they have a technically superior device, but don't understand well how to sell it.