Kobo’s having trouble keeping its new color e-reader in stock

Summary

• Color e-readers are gaining popularity with new generation displays like Kaleido 3 offering vibrant colors and affordable prices to average consumers.
• Kobo sold out its first batch of color e-readers, in particular the popular white Libra Colour model, and expects continued high demand for new models.
• Possible late 2024 release of another color e-reader by Kobo, potentially an upgrade to the Elipsa 2E, to compete with Amazon’s non-color alternatives.

Color e-readers have been on the market since at least 2012, but it hasn’t been until the last year or so that the technology has really found its footing. The original color screens from E Ink were very dark and had muted colors so they remained a sort of niche in the e-reader community. What’s changed in the past year is the introduction of a new generation of color displays called Kaleido 3 with more vibrant colors and a brighter screen. Until recently, the cheapest Kaleido 3 devices cost over $300, but with the launch of the Kobo Libra Colour and Clara Colour ($220 and $150, respectively), color e-reading is now within the reach of the average consumer, and Kobo seems to be reaping the rewards.

Days of plenty for Kobo

According to industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Kobo has been completely sold out of its first batch of color e-readers since May 1. He says shipping for most models will resume this week, but if you’re waiting on a white Libra Colour — which is the most popular of the new models — you might be waiting until later this month. Lending credence to this analysis, E Ink chairman Johnson Lee told the Taipei Times that E Ink’s color display customers are telling him that their sales were “much better than they had expected.”

Of the two color models, the Libra appears to be the more popular, outselling the Clara by 50%. Kuo, who is better known for his prescient Mac and iOS predictions, analyzes supply chains to formulate his analyses, and says that one of Kobo’s integrated circuit suppliers has ramped up its production capacity to be prepared to meet the anticipated continuing demand for color Kobos. He is likely talking about Fitipower which makes timing control boards, e-paper display drivers, and a host of other products.

The most interesting bit of prognostication out of Kuo is that the initial success of the new color e-readers will embolden Kobo to push to release another color e-reader this year, possibly an upgrade to the Elipsa 2E. This makes a lot of sense, since of the two color e-readers Kobo released, it was the larger, stylus-capable Libra Colour that was the more popular. If Kobo can keep the price comparable to the current model ($350) as it did for the Libra and Clara, this would be a massive cut to the price of 10-inch color e-readers, the cheapest of which are made by Boox and Bigme and cost $500. It would also be a wake-up call to Amazon, whose 10-inch e-reader retails for $330 and doesn’t offer color.

Gallery 3 speculation

Kuo further speculates that Kobo could begin investigating E Ink’s Gallery 3 color technology if demand for its color devices remains high. Gallery 3, which eliminates nearly every problem with the color of Kaleido 3 displays at the cost of a worse refresh rate, is part of E Ink’s Advanced Color ePaper (ACeP) line of products. Amazon has been rumored to be working on ACeP Kindle devices as well but hasn’t said anything publicly just yet. If you want to know what all the hype is about, check out our reviews of the Kobo Libra Colour and the Kobo Clara Colour.