Apple e-book reader rumor

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by dmikov

Old OLEDs don't, but the new crop Super AMOLED (the ones in new Samsung Galaxy) are much better in sunlight then old AMOLED or LCD (including IPS).

Would those be the ones in short supply, currently hampering phone rollouts?
Maybe that's the cause of the shortage?

I have an MP3 player with an OLED screen. It is outdoor viewable: on cloudy overcast days. Bright light? No go.
Readable in Cleveland, Seattle, or London.
Less useful in Dallas, Miami, or points south.

[Genaro Zamora]

I think this is just a rumor, but if it's not. It should be interesting to check out.

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by dmikov

Old OLEDs don't, but the new crop Super AMOLED (the ones in new Samsung Galaxy) are much better in sunlight then old AMOLED or LCD (including IPS).

No they're not. They're better than standard AMOLED displays, but are about equal to LCD, or perhaps slightly inferior in bright light. A lot of the hype came from a bit of a misleading video of someone holding a Samsung in what some people construed to be bright sunlight.

Here's a slightly better video in actual sunlight:


And again, you CAN make the screen more visible in sunlight if you ramp up the light output, but you are draining batteries quite badly by doing so. That's how these displays work.

[Lilly]

Originally Posted by cmdahler

This obsession with sunlight readable displays is just a matter of personal preference. I have never understood why anyone would want to read even a paper book in the sun. I'd have to wear sunglasses just to look at the page. Very unpleasant.

People end up in different situations where they need to use their reader in the open elements. I have a friend that uses hers on the beach since she lives in Miami while working on her tan. They also work great for amusement parks. I took my nephews to Disney World and Six Flags amusement parks and the lines where so long that you spend part of it in the open (they only have limited covered space for waiting in line). Of course I had my Sony reader to help me with the waiting and it would have been a real bummer if I could not use it in the sun.

[Maggie Leung]

Originally Posted by Lilly

People end up in different situations where they need to use their reader in the open elements. I have a friend that uses hers on the beach since she lives in Miami while working on her tan. They also work great for amusement parks. I took my nephews to Disney World and Six Flags amusement parks and the lines where so long that you spend part of it in the open (they only have limited covered space for waiting in line). Of course I had my Sony reader to help me with the waiting and it would have been a real bummer if I could not use it in the sun.

Personal preferences vary, of course. I don't like reading in direct sunlight, but if I were standing in a nightmarish Disney line, I'd rather have a paperback. No worries about dropping in case someone bumps you; no worries if you get tossed around on a ride. I wouldn't bring a Kindle to a beach, either. I'd wanna be able to walk around without my e-device being stolen if I put it down. I like e-reading fine, but people (not you specifically) get obsessed with gadgets sometimes.

[SensualPoet]

Didn't we start discussing the potential for 5" and 7" iPad variations cum e-readers? Really? I can't believe Apple would bother. The next edition of iPad will be somewhere in the same screen size but thinner and faster etc. But smaller and cheaper? Somehow that doesn't sound like an Apple product road map.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

But smaller and cheaper? Somehow that doesn't sound like an Apple product road map.

Depends what they have in mind for the iPod Touch line.

[Maggie Leung]

Didn't Apple make cheaper and simpler versions of iPods? I own a video one from generations ago, but have seen newer, smaller, cheaper ones without video, for instance.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by Maggie Leung

Didn't Apple make cheaper and simpler versions of iPods? I own a video one from generations ago, but have seen newer, smaller, cheaper ones without video, for instance.

Yes, the Shuffle, the Nano, the Classic, and the Touch, from $60 to $400.
Be interesting to see how Apple re-orients all of these in November. I'm guessing the Classic disappears, the Touch gets a front facing camera and FaceTime, and the Shuffle and Nano uphold the whole music thing

[Solicitous]

Originally Posted by Kris777

What will be the price for 5.6- and 7-inch iPads? I guess somewhere between $149 and $199 to compete with Nook and Kindle.

Given Apple have the iPod touch, I'd say the price would be about $399 for a 8GB 7" model, perhaps $350 for the 5.6".

However I don't really see Apple actually coming out with a device like these. Apple have never been one to have a huge product line up. If they did release they have the iPod Nano, The iPod (the mini one), iPod Classic, iPod Touch (both the 8G hardware and 32GB hardware), iPad, iPhone and now the 5.6" or 7" units.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by ppw

I don't think Apple will go that low with a "new" product.

I don't think so either. Steve Jobs could put the Apple Logo on a rock, sell it for $800 and the sheep will camp out for days to get in line to have it.

Steve jobs has this country in the palm of his hand.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by boswd

I don't think so either. Steve Jobs could put the Apple Logo on a rock, sell it for $800 and the sheep will camp out for days to get in line to have it.

Steve jobs has this country in the palm of his hand.

Nice to see its not just Apple fans caught in a Reality Distortion Field

[m-reader]

Originally Posted by boswd

I don't think so either. Steve Jobs could put the Apple Logo on a rock, sell it for $800 and the sheep will camp out for days to get in line to have it.

Steve jobs has this country in the palm of his hand.

I think that's stereotyping it a bit. True, the hype about the eyePhone and everything Apple is a bit silly and people have been jumping on the said bandwagon like there's no tomorrow.

But it also has to be said that Apple did have their eyes on the ball (the ball being defined by Steve'o of course) when it comes to the design, marketing and quality of their products.

But they seem to have fallen on their own knife with eyePhone 4 (don't play with sharp object, I keep telling my kids!).
I think they are in for a reality check now. The playing field is being levelled somewhat with Android adoption, erosion of quality of their products and bad press (the app store boo-ha, impeding lawsuits, etc.). Apple will need to drop prices and/or find another way to keep ahead of the pack. Will this require an iPad minor? Who knows, maybe.

PS: eyePhone is from the Futurama "Attack of the Killer App" episode of course! It's a must see!

[Sonist]

I just switched from my iPhone 3Gs to a Samusng Galaxy S (Android). The Galaxy S has a 4" Super AMOLED screen, which is easier to read under sunlight than the LCD screen of the iPhone.

Under normal conditions, the AMOLED screen is so good, that going back to a regular LCD would be very hard.

The Super AMOLED screen seems easier on the eyes than the LCD of the iPhone, and I can stare at it considerably longer than I can stare at the iPhone, without my eye being blurry when I look away.

But I still wouldn't use it as my main reading device. I am kind of getting back into the e-ink camp, and thinking of jumping on the next PDF-sized device with the new and contrastier screens.

[dmikov]

Originally Posted by LDBoblo

No they're not. They're better than standard AMOLED displays, but are about equal to LCD, or perhaps slightly inferior in bright light. A lot of the hype came from a bit of a misleading video of someone holding a Samsung in what some people construed to be bright sunlight.

Here's a slightly better video in actual sunlight:


And again, you CAN make the screen more visible in sunlight if you ramp up the light output, but you are draining batteries quite badly by doing so. That's how these displays work.

Well even on your video I see more on Samsung screen, then on Sony Xperia. The higher contrast make it easier to see stuff.