DarkScribe, do you still listen to cassettes? I'm betting you are a cassette man.
E Ink devices already cater to a small market of dedicated readers. This market will only get smaller, and more frustrated with the technology, if progress is not made that caters to improving their experience. How many Sony PRS-T1 users do you think excitedly rushed out to buy the PRS-T2? Why have eReader sales plunged over the past year? Both E Ink, and the major reader producers, need to continue to upgrade their devices to secure interest in their market.
I am not comparing tablets to eReaders Hidari, but I am saying that more people are buying tablets because of this new no-frills eReader attitude, expressed by DarkScribe, that has stifled eReader development. Wallcraft has it exactly right. In order for E Ink to remain relevant in the bells-and-whistles tablet world, they need to make the needed improvements that will make it stand out. An HD screen would certainly help, and existing users will appreciate the upgrade.
Amazon will show the veracity of my argument on Thursday. I am almost certain that "higher contrast" or HD screen technology will be apart of their Kindle 5 pitch. If HD screens are just unneeded, then why would they incorporate this advance?
I am not the only one making this argument about E Ink stagnation:
The Future of Electronic Paper Looks Bleak