The Amazon Kindle, Pocketbook and Rakuten Kobo have better value for users who want to read for years to come. E INK technology does not dramatically change every couple of years. I know some Amazon users with 5-6-year-old devices, which are perfectly suitable for their needs. The Kindle and Kobo also have a better software experience; both companies issue firmware updates for the latest products and several previous generations. Older models without software updates are more stable than the latest and greatest. All of these factors provide better resale value.
Amazon, Kobo, and Pocketbook all use Linux on their e-readers. This operating system is very stable and offers excellent battery life. Running the same operating system for a decade or more gives the engineers a deep understanding of the entire user experience. It also makes introducing new features, enhancements, and security updates easier without breaking everything.
There is no denying that Amazon and Kobo are by far and away the most popular e-readers worldwide. However, some users prefer an Android e-reader or e-notebook from Bigme, Onyx Boox, Meebook, and other brands. Keeping your Android e-book reader for a few years will provide great value because Google Play is installed on the products. These companies never update the version of Android. As time passes, these Android book readers eventually become unsupported by developers, and many popular apps cease to work. Many Bigme and Boox products from just 3-4 years ago are already outdated, with Android 8 or 9 installed, which is already unsupported by developers.
Firmware updates are also a significant issue with these Android devices. Boox, Bigme, Supernote, and others only support the latest and previous generations. All other units they no longer sell are unsupported and don’t receive updates or Android security patches. This results in a weaker demand for older models and worse resale value.
In closing, there is a reason why the Amazon Kindle is synonymous with e-readers. Even if someone does not know what an e-reader is, everyone has heard of a Kindle. Kobo is less popular, but it is the number two global player. These e-readers work for over a decade or more, and the only thing that goes wrong is that, eventually, the battery no longer holds a charge, but this rarely happens with casual readers. Android e-readers, on the other hand, do not have excellent resale value since developers do not support discontinued Android OS versions, defeating the entire reason to buy an Android e-reader.
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.
