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Unlike the cheap phone you were offered, the Kindle e-ink display uses a newer form of e-ink that allows for more than 2 colors, with a resolution several hundr
by fatdog789 17y ago
Unlike the cheap phone you were offered, the Kindle e-ink display uses a newer form of e-ink that allows for more than 2 colors, with a resolution several hundred times the resolution of the phone's e-ink display, significantly faster refreshing, AND which can update portions of the screen instead of the entire screen every time (which was not available on any e-ink product until the iRex illiad which came out in 2007). It's sort of like the difference between the mouse and the elephant.
The processor is not the expensive part, nor is the ram. The fucking display is the expensive part.
- rbanffy 17y ago"The processor is not the expensive part, nor is the ram. The fucking display is the expensive part." Still, the display has to be very expensive, since every other piece should be really cheap and there are not that many of them anyway. The Kindle has the brains of a cheap smartphone.
- jrockway 17y agoYes, the display is very expensive. You've got it exactly right. Look at all the other vendors of eInk devices. Those devices are also expensive. If they could massively undercut Amazon, they probably would.
- rbanffy 17y agoThey would only undercut Amazon if they could secure supplies for a proportionately larger number of units. If parts supplies are short, the best strategy is not to undercut your competitor and gain market share, but enjoy higher profit margins while the part shortage lasts. And, of course, as long as market share is not a huge concern. It is also unwise to enter a price war with a competitor with deeper pockets than you.
- pg 17y agoWould you please stop using all caps in comments? http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html