After reading, the interview with Russ Wilcox (CEO, eInk) it’s worth pondering the feature release schedule he outlines for eInk screens -
- 2009 – All about different sizes.
- 2010 – All about flexible displays.
- 2011 – All about color.
Hidden in there is the fact that 2009 (or early 2010 at the latest) will also see touch eInk screens become much more prominent (in a form that does not mess up screen visibility like in the Sony PRS700). However, a new feature a year just isn’t impressive enough. That would mean we don’t see a color Kindle until 2011 – 2 years too long in my opinion.
There are a lot of competing technologies for ePaper screens, with a few being -
- Army funded Arizona State University project for flexible wearable displays.
- Fujitsu’s screen technology used in Flepia eReaders.
- PlasticLogic’s screen technology.
- Microsoft Research’s eReader Technology.
Depending solely on eInk makes Amazon susceptible to one of the few possible attacks against Kindle i.e. A much improved technology. A device that makes a significant jump over the Kindle technologically is one of the few products that is an actual threat to Kindle 2 and Kindle 3.
Kindle 2 has little competition because WhisperNet, WhisperSync, the eInk screen, the upcoming Kindle Mobile, and the range of products in the Kindle Store combine to create the best eReading experience currently available. However, they have not raised the bar much screen technology wise – Kindle 2 is actually more like Kindle 1.5, and a Kindle 3 release that is merely Kindle 1.9 or Kindle 2.0 would not be enough.
Kindle 3 needs to have a screen and other technology that clearly wows people. Think iPhone multi-touch, Microsoft Surface etc. It needs some really strong, cool technology because it’ll probably be competing with a 9″ iTouch Book Reader from Apple that’s probably significantly improved over even the current multi-touch coolness.
If Amazon doesn’t start using/trialling additional screen technologies it risks linking its fate with that of eInk, which would be a dangerous and completely unnecessary strategy.
Filed under: apple ibook reader, kindle 3 Tagged: | eInk, kindle 3
