13" Reader

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by fgdas

Netronix shows REAL (compared to PockeBook) working android 13.3" flexible E Ink with capacitive touch and digitizer: http://youtu.be/b-SnpwAsIYc

Is this a production device, or a prototype? Most prototypes never make it into production.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Is this a production device, or a prototype? Most prototypes never make it into production.

It's a prototype, and with a wholesale cost of $600 it will probably never hit the market:
http://the-digital-reader.com/2015/0...roid-ereaders/

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

It's a prototype, and with a wholesale cost of $600 it will probably never hit the market:
http://the-digital-reader.com/2015/0...roid-ereaders/

Thanks. If the wholesale cost is $600, then the retail price would probably be similar to that of the Sony, I suspect.

[ManDay]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

It's a prototype, and with a wholesale cost of $600 it will probably never hit the market:
http://the-digital-reader.com/2015/0...roid-ereaders/

Why is that?

Aside: The article is already wrong on that it claims the device used IR touch. According to the representative in the video, the tech is capacitive.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by ManDay

Why is that?

Because there isn't much of a market for a $1,000 ereader, and there are only so many companies like Sony foolish/willing to waste their investment in releasing one.

[ManDay]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

Because there isn't much of a market for a $1,000 ereader, and there are only so many companies like Sony foolish/willing to waste their investment in releasing one.

Ah, okay, so you're saying they're not foolish enough

Forgive my ignorance in economic concerns, but here is what I wishfully think:

The material and production will not come close to $600. I reckon the actual cost to mass-produce such a device will tend towards $150 for a company which has already specialized in building e-ink readers.

Since they have spent enough resources to present a serious prototype, there are only three options as far as foolishness is concerned:

1) They are as foolish as Sony and will sell the device at said $1000 retail

2) They reckon that they can make serious profit if they sell the device at, say, $500 retail (I wish)

2) They are just foolish and let the technology go to waste - that's what you suggest.

So, in my opinion, if they are not foolish at all, they sell the tech for whatever price brings the best profit. And I'm sure given the assumed production cost, there is a price at which they can make serious profit with it (besides gaining reputation).

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by ManDay

Aside: The article is already wrong on that it claims the device used IR touch. According to the representative in the video, the tech is capacitive.

I was told it was IR touch, and that was why the bezel was thick. But you're right in that I should note the conflicting info.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by ManDay

Ah, okay, so you're saying they're not foolish enough

Forgive my ignorance in economic concerns, but here is what I wishfully think:

The material and production will not come close to $600. I reckon the actual cost to mass-produce such a device will tend towards $150 for a company which has already specialized in building e-ink readers.

I was told that the 13" screen alone costs more than that. Given that Sony is charging a grand a PDF reader, and that DaSung is charging around $800 for a simple monitor, I would bet that E-ink really is charging a premium for that screen unit.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

I was told that the 13" screen alone costs more than that. Given that Sony is charging a grand a PDF reader, and that DaSung is charging around $800 for a simple monitor, I would bet that E-ink really is charging a premium for that screen unit.

Agreed. I imagine that the production yield for such a large screen is pretty low.

[Hrafn]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Agreed. I imagine that the production yield for such a large screen is pretty low.

I would suspect that the market size, and thus economies of scale, are also lousy for such an niche product.

[Alf77]

Well, I think that the point is another one. the are trying (at least) to open a market.

Sony 13.3 is the only one thing that is out at the moment and It's not clear if you can get one at 1K€. But it's only for reading PDFs and taking notes.

We are talking about a 13.3" e-ink tablet with android. I have bee using a samsung galaxy note pro 12" an I can say that is (finally!) a tablet with some reason to be in a office or for a university student. But there is the problem of bloatware, battery and the fact that the screen is not large as an A4 shet (even if the tablet itself has the same dimensions.

So, IMHO, 1000 euros for a 13.3 e-ink tablet will a high but reasonable price in a pro environment such as University or at work. It would be comparable to the price of a good laptop.

Probably THAT model with that hardware will not touch the market, but something similar will have a reason to be and to be bought.

Alf

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Alf77

Well, I think that the point is another one. the are trying (at least) to open a market.

Sony 13.3 is the only one thing that is out at the moment and It's not clear if you can get one at 1K€. But it's only for reading PDFs and taking notes.

We are talking about a 13.3" e-ink tablet with android. I have bee using a samsung galaxy note pro 12" an I can say that is (finally!) a tablet with some reason to be in a office or for a university student. But there is the problem of bloatware, battery and the fact that the screen is not large as an A4 shet (even if the tablet itself has the same dimensions.

So, IMHO, 1000 euros for a 13.3 e-ink tablet will a high but reasonable price in a pro environment such as University or at work. It would be comparable to the price of a good laptop.

Probably THAT model with that hardware will not touch the market, but something similar will have a reason to be and to be bought.

Alf

Trouble is, though, Alf, that the market for large-screen devices has been largely overtaken by tablets.

I read a lot of academic A4-format PDFs, and find that I can read them very comfortably on my iPad simply by expanding the page size so the margins are removed. Everyone else I know who needs to read PDFs also uses an iPad, or equivalent large-screen Android tablet. I'm just not convinced that there is a market for large-screen eInk devices any more.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I read a lot of academic A4-format PDFs, and find that I can read them very comfortably on my iPad simply by expanding the page size so the margins are removed. Everyone else I know who needs to read PDFs also uses an iPad, or equivalent large-screen Android tablet. I'm just not convinced that there is a market for large-screen eInk devices any more.

I think there is a market. But it requires a device that is bigger (full A4/US Letter), lighter, cheaper and more robust than the iPad.

Technically such a device is possible, it's the economic aspect that's the problem. At £200 I think lots of people would want one. At £1000 not very many at all.

[mo4co4]

I think that there is a lot of market for these 13"+ e-readers. Academical personnel loves paper and they have hundreds of PDF articles that need small place to archive. E.g. I have hundreds of articles, I also don't like LCD-s, printed articles take too much space - it's a big problem.

There is no doubt that 500-600USD tool wouldn't find market. There should be more well planned and directed marketing. If today's producers can't make it, then in the future it comes anyway.

[ManDay]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Trouble is, though, Alf, that the market for large-screen devices has been largely overtaken by tablets.

I don't think so. How are we even supposed to know that the market has been "taken over" by tablets if there has never been any real competition? I think there are a lot of people who (would) prefer a full A4 sized E-ink reader over their tablet or, like me, have never bought (not for the purpose of reading, that is) a tablet and will only buy a E-ink reader when it comes out.

I read a lot of academic A4-format PDFs, and find that I can read them very comfortably on my iPad simply by expanding the page size so the margins are removed. Everyone else I know who needs to read PDFs also uses an iPad, or equivalent large-screen Android tablet. I'm just not convinced that there is a market for large-screen eInk devices any more.

I think it's both a question of personal preference and context. Personal preference as far as habits and eye-sight is concerned. I, for example, have enormous problems reading on a screen for a long period and concentrating.

But I think you can also admit that there are certain situations in which a iPad just doesn't cut it. Battery duration, lighting conditions, even a two additional inches on the screen might be worth it (though not $500 ). As far as occasional reading is concerned, any screen will probably do. But "heavy duty" reading - academic books and papers, scores for music, etc: I don't think any kind of tablet is well suited for the job for many people.