Is Mobius screen gone forever?

[Apollyon202]

Although this isn’t only Kobo-related, they were the only (?) brand that actually released a really good e-reader with a Mobius screen: the Kobo Forma.

Yes, it wasn’t perfect, but it could’ve been a great option for people who’ve posted photos of their e-readers with cracked screens.

And for me too. I’ve never broken an e-reader, I really take care of them, but the devil never sleeps, and accidents can always happen with handheld devices. I’d feel a lot better if I could just leave my e-reader on the table without a sleep cover, without hiding it from the cat, kids, or clumsy relatives, you get the point.

I just checked the E Ink (Evil Ink) website, there’s no Mobius screen listed anymore. Seems like they phased it out, though I’m not sure why. My best guess is it’s simply more profitable to sell fragile, unrepairable screens that break easily, leading to more sales in the long run. Who cares about the growing mountains of e-waste, right?

But hey, let’s save the planet by using recycled plastic fished out of the ocean instead! That’ll fix everything. Really eco-friendly, aren’t they? Meh.

What do you think about this? Do you know what happened to Mobius screens? After all these years, why can’t we have a durable (Kobo) e-reader, for real?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Apollyon202

I just checked the E Ink (Evil Ink) website, there’s no Mobius screen listed anymore. Seems like they phased it out, though I’m not sure why. My best guess is it’s simply more profitable to sell fragile, unrepairable screens that break easily, leading to more sales in the long run. Who cares about the growing mountains of e-waste, right?

But hey, let’s save the planet by using recycled plastic fished out of the ocean instead! That’ll fix everything. Really eco-friendly, aren’t they? Meh.

What do you think about this? Do you know what happened to Mobius screens? After all these years, why can’t we have a durable (Kobo) e-reader, for real?

For what it may be worth, eInk still sells Mobius screens and they are used in a couple of the 10"+ devices. See 10.7" E Ink Carta 1300 for an example.

As for Mobius screens having a survival advantage? I haven't broken any eInk screens yet but one friend of mine broke the front of his Boox Note 5 screen which, IIRC, has a Mobius substrate when he accidentally dropped a D20 die on it.

[Quoth]

Mobius (plastic substrate) is likely lower yield and thus more expensive. It was to cope with inadequate chassis on larger screens. I'd also be curious as to long term life. How old is first Forma?

Glass is made from common stuff (posh sand). It's actually slightly dubious recycling it. Re-use of glass containers makes more sense. Plastic is made of rarer stuff.

[xor_]

According to Wikipedia, the Kobo Forma came out in late 2018. I actually just bought one to replace my Libra2 even though that one is younger.

I love the 8-inch screen and the form factor. I don't even know anymore how I could be content with 6-inch screens for so many years. My age is a factor, surely.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by xor_

According to Wikipedia, the Kobo Forma came out in late 2018. I actually just bought one to replace my Libra2 even though that one is younger.

I love the 8-inch screen and the form factor. I don't even know anymore how I could be content with 6-inch screens for so many years. My age is a factor, surely.

A Kobo Forma, after all these years? Is the battery still good?

[cellaris]

Originally Posted by Apollyon202

Although this isn’t only Kobo-related, they were the only (?) brand that actually released a really good e-reader with a Mobius screen: the Kobo Forma.

Yes, it wasn’t perfect, but it could’ve been a great option for people who’ve posted photos of their e-readers with cracked screens.

And for me too. I’ve never broken an e-reader, I really take care of them, but the devil never sleeps, and accidents can always happen with handheld devices. I’d feel a lot better if I could just leave my e-reader on the table without a sleep cover, without hiding it from the cat, kids, or clumsy relatives, you get the point.

I just checked the E Ink (Evil Ink) website, there’s no Mobius screen listed anymore. Seems like they phased it out, though I’m not sure why. My best guess is it’s simply more profitable to sell fragile, unrepairable screens that break easily, leading to more sales in the long run. Who cares about the growing mountains of e-waste, right?

But hey, let’s save the planet by using recycled plastic fished out of the ocean instead! That’ll fix everything. Really eco-friendly, aren’t they? Meh.

What do you think about this? Do you know what happened to Mobius screens? After all these years, why can’t we have a durable (Kobo) e-reader, for real?

I believe PocketBook still has a couple of 10.3" e-readers with Mobius screens, but with somewhat poor specifications (the InkPad X that I have is no longer manufactured, unfortunately). More than the durability of the screen, I would highlight its lighter weight. The difference is especially noticeable on large screens.

[xor_]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

A Kobo Forma, after all these years? Is the battery still good?

Actually, yes. It's perfectly in line with the battery life I've come to expect from various readers over the years. And the battery seems replaceable, so I'm not even worried if someday its performance gets worse.

The thing is, I've compared the Forma to several of the more modern Kobo readers (or their Tolino equivalent), and simply liked it better. My first tendency was to get the Sage because it's newer and more badass. But the short battery span of the Sage really killed my enjoyment. It makes me nervous when I see the remaining battery percentage going down pretty much with every other page turn.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by cellaris

I believe PocketBook still has a couple of 10.3" e-readers with Mobius screens, but with somewhat poor specifications (the InkPad X that I have is no longer manufactured, unfortunately). More than the durability of the screen, I would highlight its lighter weight. The difference is especially noticeable on large screens.

The Mobius allows less Alloy in the chassis, so a lighter ereader. Not sure if the actual difference in screen weight makes as much difference.

[Anghirrim]

I still use my good old Forma, bought in January 2021.

Screen and battery are still as good as on Day 1.

[Haesslich]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

A Kobo Forma, after all these years? Is the battery still good?

Mine is about 80-90% what it was, from what I can tell. My main issue with it is that it's slower than the Sage or Clara BW / Libra Colour. But I still use it on occasion, when I want a lighter reader with a larger screen for manga reading.

[kandwo]

The Viwoods AI Paper (10"+) uses it, as far as I know.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by xor_

Actually, yes. It's perfectly in line with the battery life I've come to expect from various readers over the years. And the battery seems replaceable, so I'm not even worried if someday its performance gets worse.

The thing is, I've compared the Forma to several of the more modern Kobo readers (or their Tolino equivalent), and simply liked it better. My first tendency was to get the Sage because it's newer and more badass. But the short battery span of the Sage really killed my enjoyment. It makes me nervous when I see the remaining battery percentage going down pretty much with every other page turn.

Kobo needs a new ereader that incorporates Forma's screen with better lighting (i.e: make it EVENLY distributed), in a Sage 'package' - and NO COLOR, thank you very much! - AND a battery that is much better than the Sage AND is replaceable. Then, update the electronics accordingly.

Make it and I will buy it. And, I suspect, thousands of other people will as well.

DOG-GONE-IT, KOBO!

END OF RANT.

[issybird]

At this point, I only want an 8" black and white Kobo that Kobo will sell to me.

[nana77]

I wasn't to know about it, even if it's the only one I have and use (thanks for the information )!
I have to say the recent screens have scratch-resistant features also, which the Forma doesn't has: I made a light scratch on it while bringing it upstairs, having the phone on its top (so the camera lens made a scuff mark).
Battery on mine is too still good enought for me, like 6/7 hours at least (I keep it 2 years without using, but once and then connecting to the charger, checking it doesn't gets kept discarged). Good to know the battery is replaceable!
For what I read, color newest has darker whites, but if I would change it, I guess it would be for a device with glass scratch resistant feature: even coloured if by using it within inverted colors would look pleasant.

Edit: @Dr.Drib: it doesn't looks uneven, the lighting on the Forma (imho).

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by nana77

Edit: @Dr.Drib: it doesn't looks uneven, the lighting on the Forma (imho).

The newer screens with eInk's built into the stack light guide are better but the earlier add-on lightguides/LEDs tended to be a bit of a crapshoot.