Rakuten Kobo released a few e-readers at the beginning of 2024 with the Libra Colour, Kobo Clara Colour, and the Kobo Clara BW. These were the last new devices that they released in over a year. It doesn’t look like they have any plans to release an updated Sage, a Libra BW, or a new Elipsa e-notebook anytime soon.
Usually, when Kobo has plans for updated hardware, they file for an FCC application so they can sell it in the United States and attain other certifications for sale in European markets and Canada. Their manufacturer is Netronix Inc., and they typically file for the applications on behalf of Kobo. Usually, this is the final step a company must take to bring a product to market, and it usually takes a couple of months after certification for a global release. Since no FCC certifications have been filed, there will likely be no new Kobo devices until the end of the year.
One of the things that might be holding Kobo back from making new e-readers is the tariffs. They have to pay a considerable amount to source components from China and have them assembled and shipped to them from Taiwan. The tariffs keep changing all the time, so it would be tremendously challenging to forecast the taxes to bring them into the Kobo warehouse all over the world.
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.