Re:Printing The NYT Costs Twice As Much As Sending Every Sub...
by jerf on Friday February 13, 2009 @09:39PM
(#480773)
"You can't do that with electronics." - yet. Electronics have come in hard, bulky cases simply because they have to anyhow. Shrinking them a little bit still means you have a hard, bulky case.
But we're within spitting distance of being able to build something like the Kindle as a flexible, waterproof thing thicker than paper, but not too much thicker than paper, with a single bit of bulky electronics attached to the bottom for the battery. Not sure it'll ever work as a broadsheet, which wasn't really chosen for your convenience, but a nice 8x11 or A4 sheet of paper, sure.
Now, when I say "spitting distance", I still mean "5 to 10 years". But it no longer requires fundamental breakthroughs, just feasible advances.
(Also, don't read my specs too literally. We'll have to play with the design space before we work the optimal design out, but "something I can read over coffee" will definitely be a niche.)
But we're within spitting distance of being able to build something like the Kindle as a flexible, waterproof thing thicker than paper, but not too much thicker than paper, with a single bit of bulky electronics attached to the bottom for the battery. Not sure it'll ever work as a broadsheet, which wasn't really chosen for your convenience, but a nice 8x11 or A4 sheet of paper, sure.
Now, when I say "spitting distance", I still mean "5 to 10 years". But it no longer requires fundamental breakthroughs, just feasible advances.
(Also, don't read my specs too literally. We'll have to play with the design space before we work the optimal design out, but "something I can read over coffee" will definitely be a niche.)