Inkpad 3 to come

[redchili]

Hi!

A sad thing happened to me the other day when i dropped my inkpad (1) and the screen broke. I still can turn it on and it comes to life (backlight, usb,...) but the screen shows plain garbage.
Re-Evaluating the market I found that I'd probably would be most happy with another inkpad as larger devices are too expensive for my use-case and smaller ones simply won't cut the mustard when reading pdf-documents/books.

Before getting ready to place my order for a new inkpad2 I contacted the inkpad-support in order to ask for a replacement-screen but as almost anticipated the cost is about the same as a buying a new one. A very nice move was to offer a discount when ordering through pocketbook's webshop (-> http://www.pocketbook-readers.de). Letting some days pass I noticed that the inkpad (2) was no longer available through pocketbooks webshop and other online-vendors seemed to run out of inkpads.
Contacting support to ask for an estimate on new arrivals the sort of let me know that the inkpad 2 probably won't become available again as a successor (7,9" screen is all i could get about the specs so far) is about to be released or manufactured in the near future.

This for me translates to a inkpad3 which probably/hopefully will be introduced soon.
IFA in Berlin is around the corner (Sept. 1st- 6th) and pocketbook used to be present there so I keep my fingers crossed...

If anyone is able to provide further details about this rumor that I'm just spreading, please leave a post.

Cheers,
red

EDIT: Title changed as device is now officially available.
Manufacturers product page: https://www.pocketbook-int.com/int/p...tbook-inkpad-3
Device specs (according to product-page):

• Screen: 1404×1872px 7.8" E-Ink Charta
• Device-Size: 195 x 136,5 x 8 mm
• Weight: 210 g
• CPU: 2 x 1 GHz
• Internal storage capacity: 8 GB
• Storage expansion slot: microSD (32 GB max!)
• Supported formats: PDF, PDF(DRM), EPUB, EPUB(DRM), DJVU, FB2, FB2.ZIP, DOC, DOCX, RTF, PRC, TXT, CHM, HTM, HTML, MOBI, ACSM, JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF, MP3
• WIFI: 802.11 b/g/n

[mobama]

If we consider the pace how eink products are normally released, a new Inkpad just a year after the most recent one is highly unlikely. Besides, Pocketbook has been extra busy recently, so I would expect them to take some time out now.

In case of news however, they are officially first announced here in German http://www.pocketbook-int.com/de/news

[Cyfranek]

Originally Posted by redchili

Hi!


If anyone is able to provide further details about this rumor that I'm just spreading, please leave a post.

Cheers,
red

Yes, it quite possible. There were information about new models during DISTREE APAC. Evgeniy Zaitsev from PocketBook told about at least one new eReader. It will have 7,8" screen (possibly 300 ppi). It could be a new inkPad 3 i supose
(see in Polish: http://cyfranek.booklikes.com/post/1...enia-2017-roku).

[mobama]

Originally Posted by Cyfranek

(see in Polish: http://cyfranek.booklikes.com/post/1...enia-2017-roku).

Your link says the new screen would be like that on Kobo Aura One.

Kobo Aura One already exists and will persist for a while. It competes with Inkpad 2 quite directly. It doesn't make sense for Pocketbook to immediately make another model to compete with its own Inkpad 2. Inkpad 2 is selling just fine where relevant, such as in Central and East European markets.

I would guess the new model with Aura One's screen will appear next spring at the earliest. Then again, companies occasionally do things that don't make sense and we might see it already next month

[redchili]

@Cyfranek: ah, another source mentioning some news regarding a medium-sized pocketbook-device, thanks for sharing the link! In the article, the author claims this this autumn (2017) some new Pocketbook-Devices will be released. Doesn't need to be the proclaimed InkPad3 but could be at least.

Originally Posted by mobama

[...]It competes with Inkpad 2 quite directly. It doesn't make sense for Pocketbook to immediately make another model to compete with its own Inkpad 2. Inkpad 2 is selling just fine where relevant, such as in Central and East European markets.
[...

I'm pretty sure that if Pocketbook releases another 7.8" device, it will most likely replace the existing one (Inkpad2). As it seems to me, the current Inkpad2 is slowly becoming less available and as I mentioned hasn't been available for some weeks now in Pocketbooks own european Web-Shop.
I'm not so sure about your claim that it doesn't make sense for Pocketbook to release an successor to the Inkpad2 after just a little over one year. If you ask me, the Inkpad2 is merely a refresh of the original Inkpad with some improvements and I could imagine the Inkpad3 being somewhat of another refresh to update to the latest e-ink technology as this has been a matter of minor criticism in some reviews about the Inkpad2.
So in order to have a better stand against the other players in the e-reader market and to not loose ground it might IMHO indeed make sense to keep refreshing their products, especially as amazon is about to release some new devices this fall...

[mobama]

Originally Posted by redchili

So in order to have a better stand against the other players in the e-reader market and to not loose ground it might IMHO indeed make sense to keep refreshing their products, especially as amazon is about to release some new devices this fall...

What other players? Pocketbook's main market is Middle and Eastern Europe. Particularly in Eastern Europe, Kindle is not a player at all.

Besides, Kindle is the best example of simply repackaging the same old 6" screen, with ads, with no support for epubs, merely price differences with or without sound support... Kindle is not doing anything, so nobody has to do anything specifically against or about Kindle.

The most direct competitor of Pocketbook is Onyx. In Western Europe there are more players (Tolino, Bookeen, Cybook, Icarus), but none of them has shown the capacity to come up with as likable products as Pocketbook.

Don't get me wrong. I would welcome a large Pocketbook with the screen that Kobo Aura One has, and it's good to see a company representative making remarks in that direction, but realistically I suspect it will take time. And to blow away the market in Europe, it would really require a 10" e-reader like Remarkable. However, I see the makers only tinkering. Nobody wants to blow away the market.

[redchili]

mobama, good to hear kindle is of no bigger significance in eastern europe. using public transport around central europe quite a bit i've recognized a lot of kindles, followed maybe by tolino devices but have hardly ever seen a larger device.

while the reasons for me remain somewhat unclear (ok, kindle has an aggressive price-policy and is easy to use for the average non-tech-savy user...) i personally see 6" devices as too small and inferior to the 8-10" class but since that is in quite an another league price-wise mass adoption will hardly be reached as long as there are sub 100€ entry-level devices available.

but before i'm further leaving the topic here, what do you mean with 'blow away the market'? do you mean that the availability of 10" devices would cannibalize the 8" segment?
as you mentioned the remarkable: besides being a bit too pricey for me i'm missing a frontlight and have so far little use for the sketching functionality. further, format support is unclear and pocketbook has a very good stance here.

lets see what the (near) future brings, i'll happily keep awaiting any new announcements in that direction and look forward to learning how the inkpad3 (if it'll materialize as claimed) competes with the icarus xl hd which i'll probably grab if the former is postponed or taking too long to hit the markets as i'm currently without any e-reader at all.

[mobama]

Originally Posted by redchili

using public transport around central europe quite a bit i've recognized a lot of kindles

It must be a different central Europe. Where I live, I am pretty much the only one with an e-reader

I have heard Kindles are heavily pushed in Poland. Makes sense, because there's an Amazon version in Polish. But that would be an exception. For people in non-Amazon countries (the majority of central and eastern Europe) it makes sense to have any other e-reader. And let's keep in mind that e-readers are globally a tiny geek niche.

Originally Posted by redchili

i personally see 6" devices as too small and inferior to the 8-10" class but since that is in quite an another league price-wise mass adoption will hardly be reached as long as there are sub 100€ entry-level devices available.

Any serious consumer of pdf's prefers bigger screens, so what can we deduce from the fact that Kindle stays at 6 inches? Kindle does not care about serious people, that's the conclusion. As a corollary, Kindle is not really competing with other e-reader producers, it's just messing with the market.

That said, a Kindle rooted and with extra apps (which is a geeky thing to do) is as good as any other 6" e-reader. Not bad at all.

Originally Posted by redchili

what do you mean with 'blow away the market'? do you mean that the availability of 10" devices would cannibalize the 8" segment?

I mean anything that would make a difference as to the competition in the market of e-readers. This market has, for good or bad, some peculiar properties. It's so small that a monopoly (Amazon) can effectively leech on it even when it has limited offering compared to the competitors (compare Kindle and Kobo). It's also so small that it would not take much to upset it thoroughly, particularly locally. Then again it's commercially dependent on ebook sales and tablet sales and any player who wants to survive must have a foothold on those.

In my country a bookstore (selling ebooks too) began selling Pocketbooks rebranded with the name of the store, as if a new e-reader producer had entered the scene.

On one hand it's easy to blow away the market: Make a product that would be extra comfy with pdf files. On the other hand, there are hardly any people in the world who perceive the need for a special product just to view pdf files. New players should be very determined and consider these factors. When it comes to another 8" Pocketbook specifically - they already have such a product, so it would not make a difference. You may not be seeing it much in your location between the Kindles around you, but there are other locations in the world where Kindles don't exist and where Pocketbooks thrive. It's a very very peculiar market with marked local differences.

The only good reason for Pocketbook to make an e-reader with the screen of Kobo Aura One would be to directly compete with Kobo Aura One or perhaps Icarus XL HD. Is there such a country where Pocketbook directly clashes with Kobo or Icarus? Maybe Germany. (In Russia, they might decide to compete with Onyx Boox Cleopatra 3 that has the screen of Kobo H2O) Then it's also possible also that Pocketbook could make such a product for bad reasons and begin selling it where it does not make sense. I would be intrigued of course if they do it, and I wish them the best of luck. I might even buy one myself

[Cyfranek]

Originally Posted by mobama

What other players? Pocketbook's main market is Middle and Eastern Europe. Particularly in Eastern Europe, Kindle is not a player at all.

That is not 100% correct (it depends if Poland is Eastern or Central Europe of course). But according to many different sources, Kindle is the most popular ereader in Poland for instance (take a look at this: http://cyfranek.booklikes.com/post/1...ie-za-polakami). In both cited surveys (see pictures), Kindle is something like 66% of the market.

[mobama]

Originally Posted by Cyfranek

That is not 100% correct (it depends if Poland is Eastern or Central Europe of course). But according to many different sources, Kindle is the most popular ereader in Poland for instance (take a look at this: http://cyfranek.booklikes.com/post/1...ie-za-polakami). In both cited surveys (see pictures), Kindle is something like 66% of the market.

And I specifically mentioned Poland as an exception, subject to the rule that if there's Amazon in that language and country, then Kindle is likely to soar. To my (admittedly limited and unresearched) knowledge there are no other such exceptions. As far as I know, Amazon has not made its way in to other central and eastern European countries. Kindle does not seem to be popular (even when available) in any country where Amazon does not exist locally, and it doesn't in the big important countries like Ukraine and Russia where Pocketbook derives much of its income.

[p38lightning]

The following is simply an "FYI" as a possible consideration and/or alternative.

I, too had my original 840 screen crack under very mysterious circumstances and replaced it with a second 840 (not Inkpad 2).

While I was always satisfied with the units' actual readability, I was never enthralled with their oft times quirky software through all versions.

I recently went the Indiegogo route and "invested" in a new Illumina XL HD with a 7.8 inch screen and running (at the outset) Android 4.2. I did this primarily so I could have a $179.00 unit (with shipping $204.00) as part of their kickstarter program that would allow me to use the Prestigio ereader app that I have (and love to pieces) on my smartphone and tablet. At my request, they actually did a brief demo for me showing it would run on the unit! The new unit is scheduled for delivery by the end of September. It does not have an external sd card slot but since I will be using it for my ebook storage only, the internal 16 GB is more than sufficient to my reading needs. BTW, I will be using this as an e reader only and sideloading all of my books from my Calibre libraries.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/i...oid-e-reader#/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e28kv-dEaRc

While the 7.8 to 8.0 inch screen size works for me as it closely approximates a "trade paperback" size page, my personal sweet spot is my still functioning Nook HD+ with a truly superb 8.9 inch screen. I long ago rooted it to full Android and it continues to function well. My primary uses for it are for graphic comics and for reviewing/editing photos from my digital camera when on trips. Frankly, if some company had actually come out with a truly non-reflective (not just non-glare) screen protector that I could have used, I would still be going full blast with it. It was/is truly one of the best tablets made in my humble opinion and the unsolvable led screen reflection issue is what stopped my general usage of it.

Hope this helps with your search for a replacement unit!

[trekk]

Here you can find a rendering of the new inkpad 3: https://papierlos-lesen.de/wirft-der...hatten-voraus/

Sorry, mobama, but I'm glad to prove your predictions wrong.

[mobama]

Originally Posted by trekk

Here you can find a rendering of the new inkpad 3: https://papierlos-lesen.de/wirft-der...hatten-voraus/

Sorry, mobama, but I'm glad to prove your predictions wrong.

I'm not at all unhappy to be proven wrong on this point. However, my prediction went as follows: "I would guess the new model with Aura One's screen will appear next spring at the earliest." Your link says the dates are not available, so we are still on schedule.

I guess the screen is as nice as ever, but I don't like the new narrow keys. It does not look comfortably operable with one hand the way Inkpad 2 is. The first Inkpad also had less comfortable keys.

Two main things that have prevented me from even considering buying the actual Kobo Aura One:
- no page turn keys
- no microSD slot

[trekk]

Well, we'll see about that.

As Amazon has not been able to deliver me a flawless new Oasis, I will consider buying an Inkpad 3. I already have an Aura One and I am also missing the page turn keys on this device.

[redchili]

quick update from my side:

some days ago i got a reply from inkpad mentioning market availability of the upcoming inkpad3 around march 2018. maybe the next days will bring some more news as inkpad might showcase their products during the CES?

anyhow, i grew tired of waiting and miss ereading so i also ended up ordering an icarus illumina xl hd which arrived right before xmas.
my experiences with that ereader have been quite pleasant so far, some quick pro/cons that come to my mind:
+ great display
+ good (even) screen-lighting
+ noticably lighter than the pocketbook1 (just realizing how nice a lighter reader is)
+ stable software, quick response
+ generally a good protective cover that wraps around the corners
+ runtime seems also ok, i've keept wifi disabled so far
- cover-flap bends around the device far less smoothly than the inkpad-one did, wakeup/sleep finctionality seems not to work.
- slightly smaller screen compared the pocketbook, this devices size is the real minimum screen-size i would accept
- have to re-select the book last opened (single click), inkpad allowed to continue right where you left off
- don't like the soft-touch-plastic surface as i experienced dissociation/corrosion (smearing) over time with similar surfaces
= boot/startup time feels to be about on par with the inkpad1

so far i've not been unhappy with the illumina xl hd but depending on what price the inkpad3 will carry and if they managed to improve some of the weak spots of the former inkpad generations i still might swap my illumina xl hd for an inkpad3 in the future... lets see.