E INK e-paper displays are found on almost every single e-reader and digital note taking device on the market. Due to the global pandemic, there has been an increased demand for digital readers and e-notes. Hisense, iFlytek, iReader, Kobo, Onyx Boox and a myriad of other vendors have been releasing a bunch of new devices all year long. E INK has just announced that their 2020 revenue will be its highest in 4 years, and this is without Amazon releasing a new Kindle, so this is very telling on the overall heath of the industry.
EIH managed to see revenues for third-quarter 2020 climb 19.3% sequentially and 21.7% on year to NT$4.452 billion ($155.21 million USD). For September alone, revenues totaled NT$1.535 billion, up 1.2% on month, but down 12.9% on year. Year-to-date, revenues amounted to NT$11.1. billion ($400 million USD) up 9.2% from a year earlier.
Hisense released 4 new E INK phones this year, including two different color models. iReader released a color model and an e-note, iFlytek also released a color e-reader and a few B&W e-notes. Kobo unveiled the entry level Nia, while Pocketbook released 3 new e-readers, including the seminal Pocketbook Color. Onyx Boox has been the busiest in releasing new devices. They developed the Onyx Boox Max Lumi, Note Air, Poke 2 Color and a few other devices in the pipeline. Lenovo, released their first dual screen laptop with an E INK panel, the Thinkbook Plus. Dasung should also be shipping off their Not an E-Reader by the end of the year. Also, the most anticipated e-note of 2020, the Remarkable 2 is also shipping out. There is certainly no shortage of products that have come out, and we aren’t done yet!
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
