Tablets won

[leebase]

Was just reminiscing on the fact that there was a time when a majority of this board was convinced that eInk would forever rule for reading because LCD's were just too hard on people's eyes.

With the slowdown of eInk sales and the continuuing explosion of tablet sales...can we finally put this issue to bed?

Not that plenty of folks love their eInk devices...but it's clear that the market has spoken and that far and away most people can read just fine on a tablet or smartphone.

So much so, that the color eInk screens (like Mirasol) never came to market as they are solving a problem that doesn't really exist (for the vast majority).

[Edit]I should have started with this article from the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/1...n_2035666.html


Quote:
Take Taiwan's E Ink Holdings Inc, which makes most of the monochrome displays for devices such as Amazon.com Inc's Kindle and Barnes & Noble Inc's Nook. After five years of heady growth during which shipments rose 100-fold, it got a jolt at the end of 2011 when monthly revenues dropped 91 percent in two months.

"The bottom fell out of the market," says E Ink Chief Marketing Officer Sriram Peruvemba.
Quote:
A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that of those Americans over 30 who read e-books, less than half do so on an e-reader. For those under 30, the number falls to less than a quarter.

[colinsky]

This may be "apples and oranges"--I'm not convinced that the majority of people buying tablets are doing so for reading.

[Cyberman tM]

Originally Posted by colinsky

This may be "apples and oranges"--I'm not convinced that the majority of people buying tablets are doing so for reading.

As they say on many forums: This.

I'd wager that most who read on tablets do so as a nice side-effect, not primary purpose.
Of course few will actually carry around two devices of similar size if one can take over the task of the other.

If Tablets win (I'm not convinced that it's yet over), then it's because the eBook readers (users and manufacturers) are too stubborn to move from the "purely reading device" to something of a "multiple purpose device".

Stuff like the ImcoV6L Reader - that should have happened years ago.

--

I don't know why Mirasol never came to be (I thought it was produced and sold?) but I'm certain it's not because it's solving a non-existing problem.
Unless the problem of battery time was solved and I missed it? Screens that require active lighting always need more power than those that don't.
(Of course, eReaders with background light negate the benefit of eInk somewhat.)

[ApK]

Originally Posted by colinsky

This may be "apples and oranges"--I'm not convinced that the majority of people buying tablets are doing so for reading.

I agree. The fact many people, readers included, own multi purpose media playing computer tablets says nothing about what readers prefer in a reading device.

It's certainly true that not everyone prefers eink to LCD for reading, but I don't think the popularity of tablets speaks to that at all.

Even among readers, some of those who would prefer eink and find it superior might compromise for the convenience of having one device for many purposes.

[leebase]

Ereader sales are declining. Their prices are at an all time low and their abilities better than ever...and their sales are still falling.

Lee

[ApK]

Originally Posted by leebase

Ereader sales are declining. Their prices are at an all time low and their abilities better than ever...and their sales are still falling.

Lee

Sorry, you've got nothing here.

That tablets outsell ereaders says nothing inherently about which is a better reader, any more than the fact that tablets outsell the Xbox mean that tablets are a better gaming system.

I've purchased several tablets since purchasing my ereader, but I still do all my reading on the ereader.

[AlbertaCowboy]

Originally Posted by ApK

Sorry, you've got nothing here.

That tablets outsell ereaders says nothing inherently about which is a better reader, any more than the fact that tablets outsell the Xbox mean that tablets are a better gaming system.

I've purchased several tablets since purchasing my ereader, but I still do all my reading on the ereader.

[Chi Cygni]

*won't rise to the bait*

[Bricorn]

There are 8 in my section at work, 5 have and use tablets, but the only two of us who I'd consider readers (who read a book or more a week) read by choice on eInk.

Not a huge sample admittedly.

[BeccaPrice]

I have a tablet, but I never use it and am not totally sure where it is. I always know exactly where my Paperwhite is (and it's usually in my hands or near to hand.)

[cortman]

Just got a tablet (Nook HD+) and I really enjoy reading on it- main thing for me is getting more text on the page (which is also why I sold my Kobo Mini).
It won't completely replace my Kobo Glo or Kindle 3, but it shares an equal load with them.

[DrNefario]

Tablets are also getting better at a faster rate than eInk readers. I imagine there's more churn in the tablet market. There's never been much of a reason for me to replace any of my readers.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

Tablets are also getting better at a faster rate than eInk readers. I imagine there's more churn in the tablet market. There's never been much of a reason for me to replace any of my readers.

My thoughts exactly. A year old tablet is quickly outpaced by new offerings, but eInk devices, with their sole purpose, don't get obsolete that quickly.

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

Tablets are also getting better at a faster rate than eInk readers. I imagine there's more churn in the tablet market. There's never been much of a reason for me to replace any of my readers.

I was going to make this exact point.

However, I do own multiple eink readers. What can I say? I have a problem.

[forumshrew]

I hope they both continue to exist. E-ink for pleasant reading experience and long battery life. Tablet for study reading (highlite export text, great dictionaries, pdf reading) and pretty good reading experience. I've got room in my heart for both.