3 ms·

> They just seem to have a strategy of not wanting to sell their products to many people. Alternately, product designers and consumers seem to have a preferenc

> They just seem to have a strategy of not wanting to sell their products to many people. Alternately, product designers and consumers seem to have a preference for LCD or OLED devices because they are better for common use cases and they have no need for the niche features that EInk provides.

jsjohnst 6y ago
> consumers seem to have a preference for LCD or OLED devices Have anything to back that claim up, or is this your opinion? Because considering there’s only one major category of consumer devices with eInk displays and they are used in all the leading devices in that category, I’m not sure I personally agree. Without additional product categories available to purchase and because there is a pent up desire to buy them despite them not existing, I don’t feel your conclusion can be proven categorically.
- bdowling 6y ago
  I found the following article by Googling "tablet sales versus ebook reader sales": "Kindle Sales – The E-Reader Device Is Dying A Rapid Death" https://justpublishingadvice.com/the-e-reader-device-is-dying-a-rapid-death/ https://justpublishingadvice.com/the-e-reader-device-is-dyin... I'm aware that many people find reading on an E Ink display e-book reader preferable to reading on a tablet or phone. When consumers pull out their wallets to make a purchase, however, they prefer tablets and phones.
  - ant6n 6y ago
    E-Readers are single-purpose device. EInk are a screen technology. Comparison to phones only make sense if it was possible to purchase tablets, phones, laptops, monitors with eink screens. There exist some tablets (e.g. remarkable), but they are pretty expensive.
    - bdowling 6y ago
      Comparison with phones and tablets makes sense because consumers use them for the same purpose as e-readers, reading e-books. They are an alternative even though LCD/OLED is inferior to EInk for reading in terms of eye strain, etc. People still prefer multi-function devices and EInk has so far been unable to produce displays that are competitive for multi-function devices. I don’t think there’s a conspiracy at EInk or among its shareholders to intentionally make less money or sell less products. Their annual report, which describes a strategy and goal of improving the technology and expanding sales, suggests the opposite. [0] [0] https://www.ir-cloud.com/taiwan/8069/irwebsite/financials.php?t=annual https://www.ir-cloud.com/taiwan/8069/irwebsite/financials.ph...
vvillena 6y ago
It's pretty difficult to have a preference when one of the options just doesn't exist.

jsjohnst 6y ago

> consumers seem to have a preference for LCD or OLED devices Have anything to back that claim up, or is this your opinion? Because considering there’s only one major category of consumer devices with eInk displays and they are used in all the leading devices in that category, I’m not sure I personally agree. Without additional product categories available to purchase and because there is a pent up desire to buy them despite them not existing, I don’t feel your conclusion can be proven categorically.

bdowling 6y ago
I found the following article by Googling "tablet sales versus ebook reader sales": "Kindle Sales – The E-Reader Device Is Dying A Rapid Death" https://justpublishingadvice.com/the-e-reader-device-is-dying-a-rapid-death/ https://justpublishingadvice.com/the-e-reader-device-is-dyin... I'm aware that many people find reading on an E Ink display e-book reader preferable to reading on a tablet or phone. When consumers pull out their wallets to make a purchase, however, they prefer tablets and phones.
- ant6n 6y ago
  E-Readers are single-purpose device. EInk are a screen technology. Comparison to phones only make sense if it was possible to purchase tablets, phones, laptops, monitors with eink screens. There exist some tablets (e.g. remarkable), but they are pretty expensive.
  - bdowling 6y ago
    Comparison with phones and tablets makes sense because consumers use them for the same purpose as e-readers, reading e-books. They are an alternative even though LCD/OLED is inferior to EInk for reading in terms of eye strain, etc. People still prefer multi-function devices and EInk has so far been unable to produce displays that are competitive for multi-function devices. I don’t think there’s a conspiracy at EInk or among its shareholders to intentionally make less money or sell less products. Their annual report, which describes a strategy and goal of improving the technology and expanding sales, suggests the opposite. [0] [0] https://www.ir-cloud.com/taiwan/8069/irwebsite/financials.php?t=annual https://www.ir-cloud.com/taiwan/8069/irwebsite/financials.ph...

vvillena 6y ago

It's pretty difficult to have a preference when one of the options just doesn't exist.