E Ink forecasts loss as ebook device demand falls

[HarryT]

Your point was unclear to me, hence the question.

[Prestidigitweeze]

Is it clearer to you now?

[HarryT]

Yes, you're referring to printing circuits on a flexible substrate.

[Prestidigitweeze]

It sounds as though you're satisfied, so I'll reiterate my points now that we've stepped outside that discussion-recalcitrant loop:

1. The size and ppi of the Aura HD matter a great deal to this particular user.

2. I'd been expecting Amazon to match or surpass the AHD's specs with their second iteration of the Paperwhite, but Bezos seems to have been more interested in seamless improvements and ecosystem-specific upgrades than a strikingly improved e-ink screen. That seems especially interesting because Amazon retains the largest share of the market for e-reader hardware. You would think they were in the most powerful position of any company when it came to accessing superior third-party tech, which is why it seems odd that Kobo alone would offer consistent improvements.

3. Do you think there might be technical reasons for Amazon's sticking with 1024 x 768 and 221 ppi as opposed to the AHD's 1440 x 1080-pixels and 265 ppi? I can understand why they'd stick with the six-inch screen, but not a lower resolution -- not unless said resolution is only available with larger-sized screens. After all, the standard Kobo Aura with a six-inch screen has the same resolution and ppi as the Paperwhite 2, and it was produced after the AHD.

4. If an entirely different company -- one that used printed screens and circuitry -- offered a print-on-demand e-ink e-reader with even better specs than the AHD, would you be interested in buying one?

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by jswinden

IMO, the main reason they are experiencing double digit decline is because they rarely come up with anything other than incremental spec bumps. The world passed by those guys long ago and now they are fading in our rear view mirrors.

There's also the matter of market saturation. High end smartphones are starting to see a decline in the U.S. -- so Motorola is starting to make low-cost smartphones (like the Moto G) and that's turned out to be their best selling smartphone ever. E-Ink readers are basically E-Ink readers. Maybe the E-Ink screen maker should encourage the making of no-frill, economical eReaders for the developing countries?

[rcentros]

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.

That's not quite right. Palm continued selling PDAs (along-side the formerly very popular Treos) until they dumped them all for WebOS. They did this because they had hired an ex-Apple employee who was trying to use the same Apple approach of simplifying their line-up and starting over. Problem was, Palm didn't have enough money to make good hardware (though it looked pretty), or enough of the original Pre's -- and by the time they got volume to market, they had already been eclipsed by the Verizon "Droid" campaign. And there was still a market for the PDAs and Treos -- though it was declining -- and they just shut it off. (They didn't help their Treos much when they tried to come out with Windows' versions. It just caused confusion in their market.)

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by shanghaichica

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

I absolutely agree. I guess I already AM hoarding them -- I've been finding them at pawn shops for next to nothing ($5 or $10). The pawn shop employees usually explain to me that "they don't have colored screens and you can't watch movies or browse the web on them." I always look mortified ... "Oh really ... well, maybe I'll try one anyhow." Actually I do tell them this is what I'm looking for, something to read on. They don't raise the prices.

[sirmaru]

EInk readers will always be with us since folks like variety in their eReaders. However, numbers of sales may fall as many start reading eBooks on their smart phones.

I rotate my reading between my Paperwhite 2013 6" (eInk), my Fire HDX 2013 7" and my Galaxy s5 5". I hear the Apple iPhone 6s will also be 5".

I've heard rumors the last couple of years that colored eInk readers built upon Android operating systems will be with us soon as well. Its only the black and white eInk readers which may keep declining.

We may even get a color eInk smart phone some time in the near future. Amazon has yet to release their own branded smart phone. Maybe that one will have new technology which may include color eInk.

[GA Russell]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I absolutely agree. I guess I already AM hoarding them -- I've been finding them at pawn shops for next to nothing ($5 or $10). The pawn shop employees usually explain to me that "they don't have colored screens and you can't watch movies or browse the web on them." I always look mortified ... "Oh really ... well, maybe I'll try one anyhow." Actually I do tell them this is what I'm looking for, something to read on. They don't raise the prices.

That's a great idea! It hadn't occurred to me to look at pawn shops. Karma to you!

[Canuck_in_Japan]

I think e-readers still have a couple of years of improvements left in them before I would even start to think of hoarding any. Why would I want a bunch of old obsolete readers when I can have a bunch of new bleeding edge readers?

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Canuck_in_Japan

I think e-readers still have a couple of years of improvements left in them before I would even start to think of hoarding any. Why would I want a bunch of old obsolete readers when I can have a bunch of new bleeding edge readers?

Because they're not obsolete. They would only be obsolete if the ePub and/or Mobi formats went away -- and I don't see that happening.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

That's a great idea! It hadn't occurred to me to look at pawn shops. Karma to you!

I think pawn shops -- at least in my area (DFW, TX) -- get a lot of eReaders because a lot of people have friends who read and love their eReaders and think everyone should have one (kind of like me). When these folks find out that their Kindle or Nook or ... (whatever brand) won't browse the Internet, or watch movies, they think it's useless. And a lot of employees at pawn shops seem to feel the same. So these eReaders have been turned on and tried out a few times, then they sit on a shelf for a few months -- and then they go to the pawn shops in almost new condition -- where they sit for a few months and get steeply discounted.

[danskmacabre]

I expect sales are dropping off as ereaders work for years and years.
The Kobo Touch I bought a few years ago is working fine and being used by my daughter.

Same as my Wife's old Kobo Touch, which my son inherited when my wife and I upgraded to Kobo Glos.

Even though there are quite a few differences between the Touch and Glo (mainly the Glo has a light), the Touches do the job of providing the reading experience perfectly well.

I probably won't get a new ereader until my Glo eventually dies as TBH I don't really want or need any new features in a dedicated ereading device.
The 2 key things for me are:

I can read the text clearly.
I get a few weeks out of battery life.

So far, all our ereaders do this so we have no reason to get new ereaders.

[xg4bx]

Originally Posted by danskmacabre

I expect sales are dropping off as ereaders work for years and years.
The Kobo Touch I bought a few years ago is working fine and being used by my daughter.

Same as my Wife's old Kobo Touch, which my son inherited when my wife and I upgraded to Kobo Glos.

Even though there are quite a few differences between the Touch and Glo (mainly the Glo has a light), the Touches do the job of providing the reading experience perfectly well.

I probably won't get a new ereader until my Glo eventually dies as TBH I don't really want or need any new features in a dedicated ereading device.
The 2 key things for me are:

I can read the text clearly.
I get a few weeks out of battery life.

So far, all our ereaders do this so we have no reason to get new ereaders.

Pretty much the same here. My old ereaders still work fine, the only reason I bought newer models was because they were on sale. There's really nothing that they could come up with that would make me upgrade or pay full retail price for another few years.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by danskmacabre

I expect sales are dropping off as ereaders work for years and years.

Yep. The market is saturated. While there are some folks who want the newest eReader, there are a lot (like me) who think the Pearl e-Ink generation is fine and can't see why they would need something newer. And, like you, the only reason I've added eReaders to my collection is because they're so cheap on clearance or at the pawn shops -- and I keep thinking I can find family members who "need" them. Of course I'm not one to upgrade anything, if the old still works. My desktop (Dell Optiplex GX270) and laptop (Latitude D400) are both over ten years old and are running fine under Linux Mint.