What will e-readers be like 10 years from now?

[sealbeater]

Originally Posted by Alohamora

Samsung is supposed to be pretty far along in developing a foldable or bendable screen phone, maybe even having a commercially available one later this year.

Does anyone remember the show "Earth Final Conflict? The hero had a phone that had a roll out screen, it was a little pod-like thing and the screen pulled out and rolled back up rather like a window shade. I still want one of those.

Have you seen Westworld? The TV series. They have devices that were triangular folded, first was size of a cell phone, you unfold it and it became a book, one more and it became a tablet.

That might be cool.

[dwig]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I still think it's the tablet that will disappear, not the eReader. ...

A rose by any other name ...

I think the 2017 tablet functionality will cleave in two with one part being absorbed by the ever more powerful and ubiquitous so-called "phone" (telephony has now become only a minor sideline function of the current devices) and the rest merged with today's ereaders. The merged tablet-ereader would likely become a do-all document handling device; reading, editing, annotating, and some creation along with video comsumption. It would be much more than what today is called an "ereader", and much more the feature set of today's "tablets".

While the document reading functions may dominate, I think the "tablet" moniker will win out over "ereader".

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by dwig

A rose by any other name ...

I think the 2017 tablet functionality will cleave in two with one part being absorbed by the ever more powerful and ubiquitous so-called "phone" (telephony has now become only a minor sideline function of the current devices) and the rest merged with today's ereaders. The merged tablet-ereader would likely become a do-all document handling device; reading, editing, annotating, and some creation along with video comsumption. It would be much more than what today is called an "ereader", and much more the feature set of today's "tablets".

While the document reading functions may dominate, I think the "tablet" moniker will win out over "ereader".

Only if we get a colour screen that has an eInk screen's low power consumption and ability to be read under any lighting conditions and a tablet's high refresh speed LCD/AMOLED screen.

[dwig]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Only if we get a colour screen that has an eInk screen's low power consumption and ability to be read under any lighting conditions and a tablet's high refresh speed LCD/AMOLED screen.

Predicting the future is impossible. No one knows what will actually exist in 10 years.

I wouldn't say that eInk is the only answer, but I agree that for unified devices to thrive they will need to have the refresh rate and color quality of today's tablet screens with distinctly improved bright light visibility. The devices will also need to have run time and weight specs near that of today's eInk based ereaders. Whether that is the result of lower power screens, lower power processors, higher performance batteries, or some combination of the three doesn't really matter to the user.

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I still think it's the tablet that will disappear, not the eReader. Bigger screened smartphones have been cutting deeply into the tablet market for a couple (maybe three) years now.

What about when tablet's have virtual keyboards that are like touching the air? I actually think the tablet may outlive the laptop. Chromebooks are already merging Android into them, and are supplanting Windows in schools and other areas. Only in the office and a few professions does anyone need powerful laptops or desktops. There will be some merging to be sure. But mobile systems are on the upswing, even Apple seems to be neglecting the laptop/desktop space. Mobile devices will keep improving.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by sealbeater

With that being said, my tablet isn't as portable as my e-reader. Mostly due to size but even if it were smaller, I don't think the comic experience would be as good. So, I doubt there would ever be an all-in-one device for me. Personally I prefer my devices specialized.

I just realized I could carry my Sony PRS-350 comfortably in my front shirt pocket. You just can't do that with a tablet. (Although I wouldn't want to read comics or PDFs on it – but I never use an eReader for either anyhow. Well, I guess right now I've got the 350's PDF User Guide on the 350, but that probably won't stay there for much longer. )

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by dwig

While the document reading functions may dominate, I think the "tablet" moniker will win out over "ereader".

I don't think eReaders are going anywhere for a while yet. Unless people just quit reading altogether in ten years. I do think smartphones will swallow up most of the tablet market.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Only if we get a colour screen that has an eInk screen's low power consumption and ability to be read under any lighting conditions and a tablet's high refresh speed LCD/AMOLED screen.

And what I've seen of color eInk, it doesn't look like they're anywhere near approaching the color saturation of a standard LCD screen. Refresh rate is not yet a dream for them. (Unless something is happening in the background I don't know about.)

[shaphat]

by then I think e-readers will be installed in our brains or sth like that

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Conan46

What about when tablet's have virtual keyboards that are like touching the air? I actually think the tablet may outlive the laptop. Chromebooks are already merging Android into them, and are supplanting Windows in schools and other areas. Only in the office and a few professions does anyone need powerful laptops or desktops. There will be some merging to be sure. But mobile systems are on the upswing, even Apple seems to be neglecting the laptop/desktop space. Mobile devices will keep improving.

Mobile devices (smartphones mostly) are increasing ... but tablets sales continue to decline. I don't see laptops (or desktops) giving way to Chromebooks. I know I would never replace my laptop or desktop with a Chromebook, I don't like the idea of being "dead in the water" if the Internet goes down. And I need a usable keyboard.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by shaphat

by then I think e-readers will be installed in our brains or sth like that

Brian stream Cheaper by the Dozen.
Brian recipe for blueberry muffins.
Brian call my daughter.

No devices needed.

[dwig]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I don't think eReaders are going anywhere for a while yet. Unless people just quit reading altogether in ten years. I do think smartphones will swallow up most of the tablet market.

In the near future, I agree. In the way distant future (e.g. a decade from now, a massive amount of time in computer years) I think that phone will finish swallowing what tablet functions that they can handle well and that the remainder of the husk of the tablet market will swallowed up by more powerful ereaders.

I still think that the "tablet" moniker will be the survivor just as Jobs and his Next Computers "swallowed" the failing Apple, keeping the better know Apple name and replacing the outdated Mac OS with an version of the Next OS with an MacOS-like "skin". I think the distant future will be Amazon Fire-esque devices if and when the display can approach eInk and paper in the sun and the battery runtime improves.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I still think it's the tablet that will disappear, not the eReader. Bigger screened smartphones have been cutting deeply into the tablet market for a couple (maybe three) years now.

I have a Nexus 6 with a screen that's almost the same size as my Kobo. But I wouldn't want to read a book on it. I sure wouldn't want to read a comic on it. In fact, when I get a new phone, I will likely go back to a smaller phone.

I also don't have an interest in a larger screened e-reader.

So even if a beautiful, richly colored e-ink screen comes out, I'd still have a use for a tablet-sized screen and a 6" e-reader and the phone wouldn't be likely to substitute for either.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by Philippe D.

On the large screen readers - they are expensive enough to be in the same price range as slightly smaller, full-purpose tablets, so I don't see them becoming mainstream items, but I don't see them being taken over by tablets either (I mean, large screen tablets were around before large screen readers), unless said tablets get dual display options.

I hate to be picky, but the Kindle DX was released almost a year before the iPad was. Unless you were talking about some other large screen tablet?

Shari

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by shalym

I hate to be picky, but the Kindle DX was released almost a year before the iPad was. Unless you were talking about some other large screen tablet?

Shari

Tablets were around before the iPad. Though you could argue they were even more niche than e-readers before it mainstreamed them.