E Ink forecasts loss as ebook device demand falls

[John F]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

"phone parts"

Humpty dumpty rules!

I was just trying to clarify in case someone thinks they will get true GPS with an ipod.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JAcheson

PDAs disappeared because Palm made the completely arbitrary decision to stop making them in favor of smartphones. Then smartphones didn't work out for them either, and they didn't have their PDA business to fall back on.

But Palm weren't the only makers of PDAs. Most PDAs were Pocket PCs, running a version of Microsoft's Windows CE operating system. Devices such as the HP/Compaq iPaq models, the Dell Axim range, etc.

[JAcheson]

Originally Posted by ebusinesstutor

Palm wasn't the only PDA maker at the time, so if people still wanted them, they would still be available.

They were the only PDA maker that mattered. By that point, Handspring was gone, and Sony had gotten out of the Palm PDA business. As for the non-Palm PDAs, they were all pretty much non-starters for me.

Originally Posted by ebusinesstutor

You say you would want a PalmOS device. But would you really carry it when your phone does the same functions?

I DO still carry a TX in my bag, because my phone does not do PDA things nearly as well as my PDA. I doubt that I would ever carry it in my pocket, though: that ship has sailed.

It will be a sad day when my TX finally bites the dust.

[JAcheson]

Originally Posted by HarryT

But Palm weren't the only makers of PDAs. Most PDAs were Pocket PCs, running a version of Microsoft's Windows CE operating system. Devices such as the HP/Compaq iPaq models, the Dell Axim range, etc.

I don't know about "most," unless you count the number of models they put out. For all their shortcomings, Palm was pretty dominant. And, IMHO, Windows CE's major accomplishment was to both suck and blow at the same time.

Also, on a less partisan note, I'm pretty sure that Windows CE PDAs exited the market before Palm did.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JAcheson

I don't know about "most," unless you count the number of models they put out. For all their shortcomings, Palm was pretty dominant. And, IMHO, Windows CE's major accomplishment was to both suck and blow at the same time.

Also, on a less partisan note, I'm pretty sure that Windows CE PDAs exited the market before Palm did.

I strongly disagree with you. I used iPaq PDAs for many years, and found them to be excellent. They were my main reading device until I bought my first eInk reader in 2006.

PDAs - both Palm and Pocket PC - seem to finally disappear around 2011, rendered obsolete by smartphones.

[user743]

Originally Posted by Barty

Eink has a reflectance of something like 40%. Paper has reflectance of 80-100+%. DPI for paperwhite is around 200 vs 300 or 600 laser printer. When eink looks as good as the output I get from my $100 laser printer, they can stop improving.

100+% ?? if so cover the sealing with paper and turn off the light to save energy.

Just give it 2-5 years you'll get that (not the paper on the sealing).
Or you can wait 5-15 years and get a much better foldable* [name goes here**], with fast color e-ink (or a new name) screen, that can play videos, or even turn the page for you, when it senses that you read the last line. (LCD? whats that??)

*To satisfy all those who want to read A4 size PDF's and those who want it to fit in their pocket.

**Rumor has it Apple will call theirs "i all" or "i it". Google will have a G and L in it. (think "Google-glass")

[shanghaichica]

The thought of my tablets being my primary reading device leaves me feeling cold lol

If eink devices are on their way out I'll have to start hoarding them.

[Prestidigitweeze]

Originally Posted by shanghaichica

The thought of my tablets being my primary reading device leaves me feeling cold lol

If eink devices are on their way out I'll have to start hoarding them.

I'm waiting to see whether the resolution and size of the Aura HD will be matched or bested by other e-readers' specs. If not, I'll have to buy a second -- ideally during some desperate last sale (though the AHD's "limited" status might prevent that possibility if the word isn't a matter of mere marketing).

[crich70]

I think part of the problem is publisher's 19th century mindset on books. I mean either they don't want to convert a text to ebook format or they want to charge an arm and a leg for the actual book (while telling you that you don't actually own what you have bought).

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by crich70

I think part of the problem is publisher's 19th century mindset on books. I mean either they don't want to convert a text to ebook format or they want to charge an arm and a leg for the actual book (while telling you that you don't actually own what you have bought).

I must respectfully disagree with you. Almost all newly-published books are released as ebooks, and generally considerably below the price of the paper book. It costs money to release backlist titles as ebooks, since in almost all cases the book is not available in electronic form, but most of the major publishers are doing a pretty decent job of gradually releasing their backlist.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

I'm waiting to see whether the resolution and size of the Aura HD will be matched or bested by other e-readers' specs. If not, I'll have to buy a second -- ideally during some desperate last sale (though the AHD's "limited" status might prevent that possibility if the word isn't a matter of mere marketing).

I don't actually own a Aura HD yet, I keep looking at it though, although with three active ereaders I can't really justify a 4th, but that doesn't stop me wanting one.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I must respectfully disagree with you. Almost all newly-published books are released as ebooks, and generally considerably below the price of the paper book. It costs money to release backlist titles as ebooks, since in almost all cases the book is not available in electronic form, but most of the major publishers are doing a pretty decent job of gradually releasing their backlist.

Well I don't discount the possibility that they may be improving though you do sometimes have to wonder when the ebook costs more than the paper. And I've lost count of how many times I've seen threads here about how this or that book isn't available (for whatever reason) as an ebook. So I might have a skewed perspective on things or it might be that the books that a given person wants are the exception to the rule. Certainly a new author can't charge as much (or rather the publisher can't) for a given book as well. I mean if Stephen King weren't an established author I doubt his publishers would price his books at their current prices (whatever they are) just as an example. I haven't bought many of his of late so I don't know what the actual price of one of his books is. I'd wager though that for every backlist book/author that is released as an ebook there are 5-10 that haven't been. We often don't know the majority of authors who wrote during a given decade because their books often didn't sell many copies for whatever reason in paper. The ones we do know such as Wells, Twain, Stevenson etc. on up to the present are the exceptions to the rule I think.

[Prestidigitweeze]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

I don't actually own a Aura HD yet, I keep looking at it though, although with three active ereaders I can't really justify a 4th, but that doesn't stop me wanting one.

I can tell you that the size and ppi matter. What I can't say is whether anyone else will offer an e-reader with the same resolution or better. Logically, you'd expect Amazon to do so, but the Paperwhite has been a conduit for other upgrades. I've been hoping that Jeff Bejasus would surprise us with secret e-ink tech (which you'd imagine he could, since Mr. Bee-Sews controls the most powerful market for e-reader hardware), but so far, only Kobo has been interested in offering such a niche device.

Does anyone remember the e-reader with a printed display and circuitry that promised to emerge for years and finally was relegated to the Underworld of Unrealized Electronic Playthings? I remember it vaguely from the days of the Kindle 2 but can't remember its name, which keeps dangling stray consonants on a wire and suddenly whipping it skyward while giggling. I seem to recall that its creators were academics.

Aha! The name for which I've been grappling is Plastic Logic and the e-reader that never arrived was called the QUE Pro.

This was the story for a year or two.

What if we were offered killer specs for a print-on-demand e-reader, or even variations tailored to our specific needs?

Mad Dog Alphas were the first 3D-printed headphones and they've sold quite well. What's to prevent us from enjoying printed hi-res e-readers someday?

[HarryT]

What do you mean by "ereader with printed circuit board"? All readers have printed circuit boards.

[Prestidigitweeze]

Originally Posted by HarryT

What do you mean by "ereader with printed circuit board"? All readers have printed circuit boards.

Beg pardon -- I meant printed electronic displays and circuitry.

Was my point unclear or did you understand it but wished to be polite about apprising me of incorrect usage? I ask because I assumed the context was more obvious than perhaps it was.