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Ask HN: Why are e-ink note-taking devices so expensive compared to iPads?

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Re: Ask HN: Why are e-ink note-taking devices so expensive compared to iPads?

#31

Post by wizzwizz4 »

StavrosK wrote: post #27
Naga wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree completely with your points, and I'm sorry be that guy, but "literally retarded" is offensive language and is frankly below the level of discourse of HN. I'm not one to be the PC police but really, come on. You can make your argument without resulting to slurs like that. https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-is-the-r-word-3105651

While I agree, the word itself doesn't seem to be particularly offensive, no? It's a matter of using it in an offensive manner, which means that even if we move on to "disabled" now, that's soon going to meet the same fate. I think we should strive not to use mental disability in a derogatory manner, no matter the word.

This word has gained hurtful and harmful connotations. Usually you can wait long enough and cycle them back in, but increased access to old books and – now – the internet has given us longer cultural memories, so it might never lose its slur connotations.

Re: Ask HN: Why are e-ink note-taking devices so expensive compared to iPads?

#32

Post by helmholtz »

throwaway4485we wrote: post #14

Throaway to not get sued. E-ink, the company, holds the patents of the pigment core tech that makes "paper-like" displays possible and strongarms the display manufacturers and the users of their displays to absolute silence. Any research project or startup that comes up with a better alternative technology gets bought out or buried by their lawyers ASAP. E-ink don't make the display themselves, they make the e-ink fi…

I've heard this narrative before quite often. My follow up question is, is there an end in sight? Is there reason to be hopeful that, later this decade for instance, things might get better and we might have 27" high PPI e-ink monitors available around the same price as a typical LCD?

Re: Ask HN: Why are e-ink note-taking devices so expensive compared to iPads?

#33

Post by ComputerGuru »

pidg wrote: post #15
corytheboyd wrote: post #4

I remember buying my first LCD display in the CRT era. It was tiny, thick, ugly, and of course expensive. Now they’re cheap and everywhere. The same will happen with e-ink in time. Honestly I would rather have the iPad for note taking. Response times are important for rapid idea translation, and e-ink systems are very lacking here, whereas the iPad is not. Probably an unpopular opinion, but it’s my own experience.

Response time (i.e. pen touch to pixel appearing) on the latest generation of e-ink devices is literally imperceptible, though I believe they've had to cut a few minor corners to get it to that level.

Drawing a pixel where none exists is not too bad. The trouble is drawing when there is already something on the screen.

Re: Ask HN: Why are e-ink note-taking devices so expensive compared to iPads?

#34

Post by quijoteuniv »

cannaceo wrote: post #19
mhh__ wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Musicians often don't have all that much money though, so unless this device cost less than maybe $200 it's a very hard sell.

Even the broke musicians I know have thousands to tens of thousands of dollars in gear.

thousand in Gear! Not computers/ipads! :)

Re: Ask HN: Why are e-ink note-taking devices so expensive compared to iPads?

#35

Post by _joel »

cannaceo wrote: post #19
mhh__ wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Musicians often don't have all that much money though, so unless this device cost less than maybe $200 it's a very hard sell.

Even the broke musicians I know have thousands to tens of thousands of dollars in gear.

The broke musicians I know can barely afford to pay their rent.

Re: Ask HN: Why are e-ink note-taking devices so expensive compared to iPads?

#36

Post by d3ckard »

pidg wrote: post #10

I own a reMarkable 2. There is certainly enough to justify the cost, if you are a prolific note-taker. Conversely, I find it hard to justify the cost of an iPad, becuase I already have a phone and several laptops. I can't see a situation where a tablet would be more useful to me, so I've never bought one. Turns out different people have different needs, and the e-ink note-taking market caters to that. Most people wou…

Let me help you - iPad is the ultimate content consumption device. It’s by far my favorite electronic device and by far the most used. I work on my computer, I communicate on my phone, but I relax on my iPad. Internet browsing, shopping, watching shorter videos (or even longer ones when cooking), sometimes playing games, reading books.

Thanks for the recommendation for Remarkable 2, considering buying one for a while now.

Re: Ask HN: Why are e-ink note-taking devices so expensive compared to iPads?

#37

Post by varjag »

helmholtz wrote: post #32
throwaway4485we wrote: post #14

Throaway to not get sued. E-ink, the company, holds the patents of the pigment core tech that makes "paper-like" displays possible and strongarms the display manufacturers and the users of their displays to absolute silence. Any research project or startup that comes up with a better alternative technology gets bought out or buried by their lawyers ASAP. E-ink don't make the display themselves, they make the e-ink fi…

I've heard this narrative before quite often. My follow up question is, is there an end in sight? Is there reason to be hopeful that, later this decade for instance, things might get better and we might have 27" high PPI e-ink monitors available around the same price as a typical LCD?

Patents expire after 20 years.

Re: Ask HN: Why are e-ink note-taking devices so expensive compared to iPads?

#38

Post by Cthulhu_ »

varjag wrote: post #37
helmholtz wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've heard this narrative before quite often. My follow up question is, is there an end in sight? Is there reason to be hopeful that, later this decade for instance, things might get better and we might have 27" high PPI e-ink monitors available around the same price as a typical LCD?

Patents expire after 20 years.

Looking up their patents (https://patents.justia.com/assignee/e-ink-corporation?page=3...), looks like their earliest patents are from 1998, so those should be expired already. That said, there's 36 pages of patents that seem related, so I'm sure that newly made e-ink technology will be covered by the newer patents.

Re: Ask HN: Why are e-ink note-taking devices so expensive compared to iPads?

#39

Post by g63wchueuo »

StavrosK wrote: post #27
Naga wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree completely with your points, and I'm sorry be that guy, but "literally retarded" is offensive language and is frankly below the level of discourse of HN. I'm not one to be the PC police but really, come on. You can make your argument without resulting to slurs like that. https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-is-the-r-word-3105651

While I agree, the word itself doesn't seem to be particularly offensive, no? It's a matter of using it in an offensive manner, which means that even if we move on to "disabled" now, that's soon going to meet the same fate. I think we should strive not to use mental disability in a derogatory manner, no matter the word.

thats just it tho. no retards were harmed in writing that sentence. any retards here disagree? instead what we have is a group of people offended on behalf of retards, which is itself retarded

Re: Ask HN: Why are e-ink note-taking devices so expensive compared to iPads?

#40

Post by zepto »

pidg wrote: post #10

I own a reMarkable 2. There is certainly enough to justify the cost, if you are a prolific note-taker. Conversely, I find it hard to justify the cost of an iPad, becuase I already have a phone and several laptops. I can't see a situation where a tablet would be more useful to me, so I've never bought one. Turns out different people have different needs, and the e-ink note-taking market caters to that. Most people wou…

> There is certainly enough to justify the cost, if you are a prolific note-taker.

Would you mind saying what you find most useful?

I have an aging iPad and would very much like to replace it with an a-ink device because I don’t like staring at a light source.

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