Why E-ink innovation is so slow

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E-ink, as well as e-paper displays in general have been pretty slow and clunky since forever. The most we use it for is reading e-books. But the tech has so much potential.

The Story Behind - ep. 93

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[Pedro]

The big bezels are actually a good thing on an e-reader in my opinion. It gives you flexibility on how you want to hold it, just like a book does.

[trulsdirio]

Honestly they didn't change much because they are pretty much where they need to be.
Big bezels help with holding the device, slow refreshes don't really matter when reading, 16 GB is hundreds of ebooks and a plastic construction makes them light and sturdy for daily use. I never felt like I needed more from mine.

[uptown]

It's always funny when tech reviewers treat e-readers like underperforming tablets. There are certainly other uses for e-ink (and I am excited to see what they are), but e-readers don't need thinner bezels or more interactivity. They're made for people who enjoy reading. What a concept! I recommend it.

[krzysamm]

As someone who suffers from intractable migraines e ink has been a game changer for me as far as reading. On the recommendation of my neurologist I was instructed to read using an e ink device and to curtail the amount of time on a computer screen even with blue light glasses. So for me I will enjoy what I got as it does the job it is an e ink reader not a tablet, doesn’t cost an arm and a leg and is easier to read.

[SLDoughts]

I'm a little surprised you didn't mention Kobo. I am a rabid fan of my Kobo. I also have two e-ink tablets that write, because I got so tired of how quickly I'd go through notebooks. I get way, way less eyestrain on my eink devices, and they make reading accessible with a visual impairment.I love them, and I really hope e-ink devices to continue to exist.

[apfelschorle]

Colour E-Ink has huge potential for digital photo frames. Those displays in the shops looked awesome. And photo frames don't need a good refresh rate.

[TheDivinepromise]

Less features in these e-readers make them better because it lessens the distractions. Unlike other devices, reading requires active attention. If every now and then, there will be other things you can do from these, you will definitely not able to finish what you are reading. That slow refresh rate doesn’t matter when your image is stagnant.

[ktuluftagneva]

Yes to big bezels, I have no idea how would I hold it with my fat fingers. Also, while everything here is true, I don't mind lack of features. I use my Kindle to read books and it works. I don't miss anything.

[clovis_the_spook]

Honestly my main criticism for the e-ink market is that no one has honestly tried to target the art market. While yes, e-ink will never compete with an Ipad or an android tablet (even if many e-ink devices can use android), I know so many artists who would kill to have a decent digital sketchbook, that is thin, light, and easy to see in most lighting. It wouldn't even need to have that many colors to be honest. Sadly, e-ink devices are just a little too expensive, and a little too limited for that right now.

[OnlyEpicEmber]

Ever since I first saw a larger E-ink display, I thought an E-ink monitor was the way to go. They now exist, and they're a little laggy but I think that could be a real future segment of the display market. They're very easy on the eyes and much nicer to read so if your main job is document, spreadsheet or perhaps coding work then this is a great future segment to look out for.

[SeanRosairo]

So here in Canada, Kobo has a larger marketshare. They really worked on ergonomics (incidentally making bezels larger) for comfort in holding. It also syncs up with the Toronto Public Library using overdrive/Libby so it saves me a ton of money on buying books. It also syncs with pocket which is extremely useful for long form articles.

I think they were pretty early into the waterproofing and adjustable light game as well.

I personally like how it really only has basic features so that I can focus on reading without distractions.

[RemotHuman]

Maybe they are losing features because the actual point of e-readers is simplicity and lack of features. If you wanted features you could get a tablet, but features can be distracting if you want a device that only allows you to read. I mean thats part of the appeal of a kindle for me. Just like that product "the light phone", sometimes less is more

[Bane_Amesta]

To me the only thing e-readers are missing is the book format. There's one from Japan with two screens (edit: is called eOneBook) that looks exactly like a book (even with dummy pages to add in the illusion) which is dedicated exclusively to manga. Is literally the coolest thing I've seen and I wish that format makes it to the rest of the world someday.

[PlasmaJunkie]

I will NEVER understand why the Pebble didn’t take the world by storm. It was a wonderful product. I still have it in a little plastic baggie in my tack drawer and look at it longingly every once in a while.

[harigovinda]

Every one of the cons mentioned are actually good for e-readers. I feels they're a mature category. The thick bezels help in holding, black and white screen with distractions removed help in concentrating while reading. They're meant to be a simple gadget. Slow progress doesn't mean bad product...

[makatron]

For me the kindle increased the amount of books I read, being able to carry a whole library with me at all times. Also over a month of battery ensures there's no need to even worry Bout bringing a charger of you're traveling for a week or two.

[MarnixUwU]

When you said "the first kindle came out 16 years ago" I was thinking like. Wow Kindles have been out since almost the 90's????

Yeah 2007 hits different now huh.

[UltimateEightnine]

I had the original ReMarkable and absolutely loved it. When they came out with the ReMarkable 2, I instantly bought that one. If you're someone who writes a lot, needs to carry around a lot of documents, wants a battery that lasts forever and doesn't need the extended functionality that a tablet offers, these things are amazing.

[darrennew]

As someone with "ins" at Qualcomm, the Mirasol color e-ink panels didn't go anywhere because manufacturing one bigger than a watch face without flawed pixels was extremely expensive.

[thediaclub]

I think a focused epaper like remarkable would be great for school. My school is curruntly experimenting with iPads and there's a lot of distracting things, like airdropping memes around. And even if this is also possible with normal backlight lcd I think that eInk is much pleasant for the eyes. EInk displays could also be used as black board replacement instead of backlight lcds because they have good visability even on bright days.