Will iRex Survive? - Page 2

lufee · 06-03-2007, 09:23 PM

i think the future of iRex will depend on the iLiad 2 and the strategy of Marketing. iRex is a great company in Electronic Reading field and it have strong R&D and Group but the experience is limited. I think all faults on iliad is depend on the experience and they can accept the feedback from customers to make sure their iLiad 2 to be a great product .

I hope iRex can stand up to be a geat company in Electronic Reading field.

JSWolf · 06-09-2007, 12:01 AM

The problem as I see it is the price. It's a nice device. But, for the cost, you can get a laptop and have money left over.

Mambo · 06-10-2007, 02:38 PM

They need development on a number of big areas:

-- capitalise on e-ink benefits: low-power consumption measured in page turns. Redesign software and hardware that can utilise these capabilities. Imagine a gadget that you can use for weeks with a single charge and even mark or annotate PDFs

-- Develop the long awaited software features (faster content lister, bookmarks in PDF, pen calibration, quick switching between several PDF and notes, note management)

-- Build strong distribution network worldwide. Increase sales that allows lower prices.

-- Position the product as a business electronic e-paper tool rather than a book-reader - utilise better the advanced technology for business purposes (wireless document receiving-annotating-resend, full MS Office integration)

-- Better control of production quality, enhance perception of premium quality product.

Then they will survive.

nekokami · 06-10-2007, 08:57 PM

I agree with all of Mambo's points, but especially the need to reposition the product as business/academic e-paper.

pdam · 06-15-2007, 07:06 AM

Positioning for Business means B2B - this device hasn't had people voting with their feet like the Palm Pilot did. In terms of Academic - this is pertty much the same - a B2B play.

Still with no new real B2B customers that will drive the product - cash in this company must be getting burnt at an alarming rate right now ...

yvanleterrible · 06-15-2007, 09:56 AM

The Iliad is a jack of all trades. It should be made better, more reliable and much more popular as for pricing. I'd love to get one but I just don't see how I could afford such luxury!
When you figure out everything you can get 3 1/2 EEE for the asking price!!?!! And less of a heartache when it bricks!
I know I know! Apples and Oranges!
Speaking of which I wish Apple would pick up the relay stick!

bigumpah · 06-15-2007, 09:31 PM

Hi Yvan,

I'm not sure if you're lurking right now, but there is a fellow Quebecer from Greenfield Parc selling his barely used Iliad on Ebay. The current bid price is $570 US. The only problem is that the bid will end in an hour and 10 mins at the time of this post.

I'm from West-Island myself, if only I could afford that much at the moment. Oh well, perhaps soon...

Vincent

autophile · 06-18-2007, 11:22 AM

I voted "depends on iLiad 2", but here's how I see iRex surviving:

1. Two-tiered marketing approach. One is for business/academic, with annotation features. One is for personal use, without annotation. Screen for business should be bigger than screen for personal. Maybe the personal version should go with a Sony Reader PDA type touch-screen, depending on whether that is more reliable or not.

2. Staying ahead of the technology curve. Technology increases exponentially. We've got color ePaper coming out, and I expect higher resolution, higher depth, and faster update ePaper every year. iRex needs to leverage these so they don't get left behind by newer companies coming out with the latest ePaper, leaving iRex looking like T-Rex (the dead, fossilized version, not the Walking with Dinosaurs version).

3. Active development. iRex needs to support not only frequent updates for the base iRex software, but also a lively third-party development community. Reflashing is not negotiable; it must be available for users to reflash to the base factory settings. To serve business/academia, iRex needs to offer custom development (i.e. pay iRex to develop your app for you). For all tiers, iRex needs to listen to and incorporate user feedback.

4. Luck. Like it or not, new companies fail most of the time, regardless of product coolness. iRex may need to partner with a larger, more established company (perhaps even *shudder* Sony) that is not going to go under if it doesn't show a profit within two years. The latest technology is always the most expensive, and the long tail of early adopters may not be enough to make iRex profitable.

That said, I think the iLiad is a sweet, sweet platform, and would hate to see iRex go under.

--Rob

NatCh · 06-18-2007, 11:48 AM

Welcome to MobileRead, autophile!

One thing to note, just in case somebody gets the wrong idea and buys one and is then disappointed: the Sony Reader does not have a touch screen of any type.

autophile · 06-18-2007, 01:01 PM

Oops, sorry, that's right -- I forgot, you control the Sony Reader using the row of buttons at the bottom. I'll edit my post.

NatCh · 06-18-2007, 01:06 PM

Either way, anyone who reads the thread ought to see both comments, and that ought to cover things.

I like your avatar, by the way.

Bunter · 08-08-2007, 02:04 PM

I just got my iLiad reader today and I think there should be another option for the poll "Yes if they hire/fire some marketing/product developers". It seems to be a facinating piece of hardwarde but the software feels very premature.

I mean simple, utterly necessary things like adding booksmarks to the pdf e-books or "Goto page" functionality. But behold, you can add notes to your e-books! Now how many people want to write to their books and how many want to navigate easily?

Or widely advertised audio capability you can use to hear your navigation do "click", first feature to disable... Or having a list of documents with ok-size titles but with BIG icons filling up all the screen so you can see only 6 of them. And not just icons, icons of the same type, the same image...

Not to mention direct customer misleading like "you can read newspapers on your iLiad" and nice "NEWS" hw button doing exactly nothing... Or "RSS capability" meaning you create an e-book on your computer, then copy it to your USB-attached (wireless and wired networks, what are those?) device and then finally read it (if you haven't read them on your computer already during the process). True online experience!

So again, if they hire even one good product developer for software and do some system updates, they don't need iLiad 2. And they will survive. Concentrating on the next level hardware will probably just mean software part will not be prioritaized and that means they will sink like the Titanic.

nekokami · 08-08-2007, 03:57 PM

Actually, if they would just find a B2B customer that wants to deal with end user requirements, that would be helpful. I don't think they ever planned to be selling directly to end users. I think they assumed that by now there would be some newspapers and other content publishers fronting their hardware. But I'd rather not get my hardware as part of a newspaper subscription -- I like to keep my options open on what I can do with hardware, and locking into one content publisher is not of interest to me.

yvanleterrible · 08-08-2007, 04:07 PM

If memory serves me right, when their site came online, there was mention to primarily do business with large firms and configure the Iliad to their specs. Kind of what Bookeen was aiming towards when we first approached them.

View Poll Results: Do you think iRex will Survive
Yes, they will survive and prosper	28	28.00%
Maybe, it depends on the Iliad 2	45	45.00%
Maybe not, they may just limp on another year or two	19	19.00%
No, the company will go under by 2008	8	8.00%
Voters: 100. You may not vote on this poll

06-15-2007, 09:31 PM	#22
bigumpah Member Posts: 23 Karma: 23 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: Axim 5V, Irex Iliad	Hi Yvan, I'm not sure if you're lurking right now, but there is a fellow Quebecer from Greenfield Parc selling his barely used Iliad on Ebay. The current bid price is $570 US. The only problem is that the bid will end in an hour and 10 mins at the time of this post. I'm from West-Island myself, if only I could afford that much at the moment. Oh well, perhaps soon... Vincent Last edited by bigumpah; 06-15-2007 at 09:39 PM.

06-18-2007, 11:22 AM	#23
autophile Singularitarian Posts: 11 Karma: 52 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Maryland, USA Device: Motorola Xoom	I voted "depends on iLiad 2", but here's how I see iRex surviving: 1. Two-tiered marketing approach. One is for business/academic, with annotation features. One is for personal use, without annotation. Screen for business should be bigger than screen for personal. Maybe the personal version should go with a Sony Reader PDA type touch-screen, depending on whether that is more reliable or not. 2. Staying ahead of the technology curve. Technology increases exponentially. We've got color ePaper coming out, and I expect higher resolution, higher depth, and faster update ePaper every year. iRex needs to leverage these so they don't get left behind by newer companies coming out with the latest ePaper, leaving iRex looking like T-Rex (the dead, fossilized version, not the Walking with Dinosaurs version). 3. Active development. iRex needs to support not only frequent updates for the base iRex software, but also a lively third-party development community. Reflashing is not negotiable; it must be available for users to reflash to the base factory settings. To serve business/academia, iRex needs to offer custom development (i.e. pay iRex to develop your app for you). For all tiers, iRex needs to listen to and incorporate user feedback. 4. Luck. Like it or not, new companies fail most of the time, regardless of product coolness. iRex may need to partner with a larger, more established company (perhaps even shudder Sony) that is not going to go under if it doesn't show a profit within two years. The latest technology is always the most expensive, and the long tail of early adopters may not be enough to make iRex profitable. That said, I think the iLiad is a sweet, sweet platform, and would hate to see iRex go under. --Rob Last edited by autophile; 06-18-2007 at 01:19 PM. Reason: (It's an iLiad, not an iRex.

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06-03-2007, 09:23 PM	#16
lufee Member Posts: 19 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2006	i think the future of iRex will depend on the iLiad 2 and the strategy of Marketing. iRex is a great company in Electronic Reading field and it have strong R&D and Group but the experience is limited. I think all faults on iliad is depend on the experience and they can accept the feedback from customers to make sure their iLiad 2 to be a great product . I hope iRex can stand up to be a geat company in Electronic Reading field.

06-09-2007, 12:01 AM	#17
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,647 Karma: 145864619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	The problem as I see it is the price. It's a nice device. But, for the cost, you can get a laptop and have money left over.

06-10-2007, 02:38 PM	#18
Mambo Gadget fan Posts: 147 Karma: 3968 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: London Device: RM Tablet PC, iLiad, PRS 505, iPod Touch	They need development on a number of big areas: -- capitalise on e-ink benefits: low-power consumption measured in page turns. Redesign software and hardware that can utilise these capabilities. Imagine a gadget that you can use for weeks with a single charge and even mark or annotate PDFs -- Develop the long awaited software features (faster content lister, bookmarks in PDF, pen calibration, quick switching between several PDF and notes, note management) -- Build strong distribution network worldwide. Increase sales that allows lower prices. -- Position the product as a business electronic e-paper tool rather than a book-reader - utilise better the advanced technology for business purposes (wireless document receiving-annotating-resend, full MS Office integration) -- Better control of production quality, enhance perception of premium quality product. Then they will survive.

06-10-2007, 08:57 PM	#19
nekokami fruminous edugeek Posts: 6,745 Karma: 551260 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Northeast US Device: iPad, eBw 1150	I agree with all of Mambo's points, but especially the need to reposition the product as business/academic e-paper.

06-15-2007, 07:06 AM	#20
pdam Groupie Posts: 199 Karma: 100 Join Date: Aug 2006 Device: iLiad, iPaq, Psion5&7, Blackberry	Positioning for Business means B2B - this device hasn't had people voting with their feet like the Palm Pilot did. In terms of Academic - this is pertty much the same - a B2B play. Still with no new real B2B customers that will drive the product - cash in this company must be getting burnt at an alarming rate right now ...

06-15-2007, 09:56 AM	#21
yvanleterrible Reborn Paper User Posts: 8,616 Karma: 15446734 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Que Nada Device: iPhone8, iPad Air	The Iliad is a jack of all trades. It should be made better, more reliable and much more popular as for pricing. I'd love to get one but I just don't see how I could afford such luxury! When you figure out everything you can get 3 1/2 EEE for the asking price!!?!! And less of a heartache when it bricks! I know I know! Apples and Oranges! Speaking of which I wish Apple would pick up the relay stick!

06-18-2007, 11:48 AM	#24
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Welcome to MobileRead, autophile! One thing to note, just in case somebody gets the wrong idea and buys one and is then disappointed: the Sony Reader does not have a touch screen of any type.

06-18-2007, 01:01 PM	#25
autophile Singularitarian Posts: 11 Karma: 52 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Maryland, USA Device: Motorola Xoom	Oops, sorry, that's right -- I forgot, you control the Sony Reader using the row of buttons at the bottom. I'll edit my post.

06-18-2007, 01:06 PM	#26
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Either way, anyone who reads the thread ought to see both comments, and that ought to cover things. I like your avatar, by the way.

08-08-2007, 02:04 PM	#27
Bunter Member Posts: 18 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Tallinn, Estonia Device: iRex iLiad	I just got my iLiad reader today and I think there should be another option for the poll "Yes if they hire/fire some marketing/product developers". It seems to be a facinating piece of hardwarde but the software feels very premature. I mean simple, utterly necessary things like adding booksmarks to the pdf e-books or "Goto page" functionality. But behold, you can add notes to your e-books! Now how many people want to write to their books and how many want to navigate easily? Or widely advertised audio capability you can use to hear your navigation do "click", first feature to disable... Or having a list of documents with ok-size titles but with BIG icons filling up all the screen so you can see only 6 of them. And not just icons, icons of the same type, the same image... Not to mention direct customer misleading like "you can read newspapers on your iLiad" and nice "NEWS" hw button doing exactly nothing... Or "RSS capability" meaning you create an e-book on your computer, then copy it to your USB-attached (wireless and wired networks, what are those?) device and then finally read it (if you haven't read them on your computer already during the process). True online experience! So again, if they hire even one good product developer for software and do some system updates, they don't need iLiad 2. And they will survive. Concentrating on the next level hardware will probably just mean software part will not be prioritaized and that means they will sink like the Titanic.

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08-08-2007, 03:57 PM	#28
nekokami fruminous edugeek Posts: 6,745 Karma: 551260 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Northeast US Device: iPad, eBw 1150	Actually, if they would just find a B2B customer that wants to deal with end user requirements, that would be helpful. I don't think they ever planned to be selling directly to end users. I think they assumed that by now there would be some newspapers and other content publishers fronting their hardware. But I'd rather not get my hardware as part of a newspaper subscription -- I like to keep my options open on what I can do with hardware, and locking into one content publisher is not of interest to me.

08-08-2007, 04:07 PM	#29
yvanleterrible Reborn Paper User Posts: 8,616 Karma: 15446734 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Que Nada Device: iPhone8, iPad Air	If memory serves me right, when their site came online, there was mention to primarily do business with large firms and configure the Iliad to their specs. Kind of what Bookeen was aiming towards when we first approached them.