Price of Larger E-readers

[Larla]

The area of a 7" screen compared to a 6" screen is 36% larger. However the price of 7" e-readers are typically 100% higher (Kobo and Amazon).

In terms of electronics parts cost I don't see much difference between the two sizes. They have added waterproofing and orange lighting in the larger models but I suspect that is done more to justify the price increase without much cost increase.

Many people would be quite happy with a 7" paperwhite without those two features at a $40 price increase.

The question is are we being taken advantage of by having to pay double the price in order to get 36% more viewing area?

[HarryT]

If you think you're being taken advantage of, don't buy one. Clearly there are many people who feel that the price is worth paying.

I see the 7" devices being offered as premium rather than mass-market devices, with prices to match.

[DuckieTigger]

The double price is not true either Kobo or Amazon. Sure if you compare Paperwhite ($120) to Oasis 2 ($250), but those 2 have a different target audiences. Is the Voyage ($200) worth it for $80 more than the PW at the same size? Depends on your needs. The 7" Oasis is an upgrade from the Voyage class rather than a PW class. The price difference shrinks to $50 from Voyage to O2.

As for Kobo, you don't have a 7" ereader. You go from Aura 2 6" ($120) to H2O2 6.8" ($180) to KA1 7.8" ($230). Here you somewhat pay for increased screen equally. But you also go up in specs going from 212ppi to 265ppi to 300ppi. You may not be able to tell the difference, but it is not simply a bigger screen size.

A 7" Paperwhite class ereader might be what you have to wait for. But right now there is no non-premium 7" ereader. Considering only screen real estate area a Kobo is a better value per $ compared to Amazon's offers.

[Deskisamess]

I willingly bought the new 7" Oasis because of the host of improvements it offers over the Paperwhite, not only a larger screen.

It has a flush bezel, it auto rotates when I switch hands, there are page turn buttons, it has 8gb of storage where my Paperwhite has 2gb, the screen resolution is better, it has audio capabilities with Bluetooth, and the overall design and balance of the device is improved.

If the only improvement had been a larger screen, I would somewhat agree with the OP. But the improvements are more than just screen size.

[HarryT]

Yep. Compare the Voyage (£170) with the Oasis (£230) and you're getting 36% more screen area for - guess what? - 35% more money. Oh, and double the storage space, too!

[fjtorres]

Another reason for the higher price point is sales volume.

All products come with certain associated fixed costs that must be allocated across all the units sold. These fixed cost charges will be lower for high volume sellers and higher for low volume sellers.

The six inch screens are a high volume product because of their lower price point and the lower price point is possible because they sell in higher volumes and thus have lower per unit fixed costs. There is a sweet spot where price optimizes sales volume and profit.

For a larger screen, the sweet spot will be different because they are intrinsically more expensive to manufacture at the same volume. This higher price will result in lower sales and higher fixed cost charges leading to a further price hike which will in turn lead to a lower sales volume. This feedback is why there are so few large format readers and the few available are "disproportionately" expensive.

It is also why the mid-size readers are marketed as premium devices; adding features raises the manufacturing cost but the added value will position the device for a different market that is less sensitive to the higher price. The price is higher but so is functionality.

It's like cars: family cars are priced lower than sports cars or luxury cars because they provide different value propositions. Family cars tend to sell on utility; sports cars on performance, looks, and thrills; and luxury cars sell on comfort, convenience, and exclusivity.

Different uses, different markets, different prices.

[Larla]

Many good points made and the larger, more expensive e-readers certainly have their audience.

I just feel that if I could get a 7" Glo HD for an in-between price -- I would be happy. I suggest it is a niche that would be quite popular but probably it would cut the sales of the more expensive readers and therefore we will never see it.

[Richwood]

Originally Posted by Larla

Many good points made and the larger, more expensive e-readers certainly have their audience.

I just feel that if I could get a 7" Glo HD for an in-between price -- I would be happy. I suggest it is a niche that would be quite popular but probably it would cut the sales of the more expensive readers and therefore we will never see it.

Both my 6.8" Kobo readers were bought on ebay used at substantial savings over the new list prices. An Aura HD 6.8" for $73 and a new Aura H2O for $145, the top of the line Kobo at the time of purchase I believe, Jan 2016.

[dwig]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Another reason for the higher price point is sales volume.

All products come with certain associated fixed costs that must be allocated across all the units sold. These fixed cost charges will be lower for high volume sellers and higher for low volume sellers. ...

Exactly

Often, very often for low volume items, the prorated development cost is the largest single cost component and sometimes higher than the actual cost to manufacture.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by Larla

Many good points made and the larger, more expensive e-readers certainly have their audience.

I just feel that if I could get a 7" Glo HD for an in-between price -- I would be happy. I suggest it is a niche that would be quite popular but probably it would cut the sales of the more expensive readers and therefore we will never see it.

Wait and see. The PW got upgraded to the 300ppi after the Voyage had months to be the only 300ppi Kindle. Something similiar may happen again with the size increase. I wouldn't count on it until next year, or maybe for christmas.

[HLS]

Its more than a bigger size. We have Audible, better lighting, Thinner, faster, more attractive device with the Oasis

[SleepyBob]

Manufacturing issues also cause the cost of things to scale by more than size. I don't know how applicable it is to eInk screens, but it definitely happens in chip productions.

Suppose you have sheets of product rolling off your manufacturing line. You can either set up to make 4 small screens per sheet, or 1 big screen that is 4x as large. Manufacturing isn't perfect, and there is a 25% chance that any 1/4 section will have a fatal flaw in it.

If you are set up to produce the small screens, 1 in 4 gets rejected, but 75% of the small screens pass QA. If you are set up to produce the large screens, all 4 sections have to be perfect, so only 31% can be used (0.75^4). That means you can actually produce 10 times as many small screens for the same materials cost as one large screen. Even if you are producing both at high volume, your materials costs are 10x on the big screen, not 4x.

[Vmurph]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

I willingly bought the new 7" Oasis because of the host of improvements it offers over the Paperwhite, not only a larger screen.

It has a flush bezel, it auto rotates when I switch hands, there are page turn buttons, it has 8gb of storage where my Paperwhite has 2gb, the screen resolution is better, it has audio capabilities with Bluetooth, and the overall design and balance of the device is improved.

If the only improvement had been a larger screen, I would somewhat agree with the OP. But the improvements are more than just screen size.

Of course if you compare those features to a Paperwhite, it’s going to sound like a “host of improvements”. However, the 7” Oasis is not an upgrade of the Paperwhite, so that’s an unfair comparison for justifying the price difference. Especially when all of those features you’ve stated (except the size) already exist on the 6” Oasis.

The 7” Oasis is an upgrade to the 6” Oasis, so the OP is asking if the difference between THOSE two models is worth double the price. The only difference between the 6” and 7” Oasis (besides the obvious screen size) is waterproofing and more storage.

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EDIT: Worth is in the eye of the beholder. Someone who spends a majority of their time in water (swimming, boating, jacuzzi, etc), and likes to READ in those situations, would probably pay dearly for a waterproof Oasis. But someone who only reads in bed or on the sofa, may not think the price difference is worth it at all.
.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by Vmurph

The 7” Oasis is an upgrade to the 6” Oasis, so the OP is asking if the difference between THOSE two models is worth double the price. The only difference between the 6” and 7” Oasis (besides the obvious screen size) is waterproofing and more storage.

Are you aware of the price difference of Oasis 2 vs Oasis 1? Hint: the 6" Oasis is more expensive than the 7" Oasis (at least as far as the 8gb version of the O2 is concerned, the 32 GB versions are more expensive, but not close to double).

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by kcladyz

Its more than a bigger size. We have Audible, better lighting, Thinner, faster, more attractive device with the Oasis

Thinner is bad. Lighter is bad. Thinner and lighter means smaller batter with less life between charges.

Thinner and lighter needs to stop. We need good batteries, not weak ones because the device is too thin for a good solid battery.

I want to see these devices with the larger screens have a good battery. They don't in order to go thinner and lighter.