Yesterday someone over at Mobileread posted links to a website that sells Kobo ereaders with listings for three new Kobo ereaders, including two models that seem to have color E Ink screens, and it looks like these new devices might in fact be the three Kobo ereaders that are listed on the FCC website.
Every time a new Kobo ereader is about to get released, it shows up early on some random website that sells Kobo ereaders, and then the page will get taken down until the device get released, so the usual pattern fits.
It’s hard to tell much from the listings because they don’t reveal any actual information about the new devices other than the names, and there aren’t any pictures, but the product numbers match the ones given in the FCC paperwork for the three new devices that are supposed to get released this year so it seems legit.
If the listings are accurate, the three new Kobo ereaders include a color Kobo Libra and a color Kobo Clara, and what appears to be a Kobo Clara with a regular black and white screen (the links to those pages will probably stop working soon).
The only thing that’s weird about that is the current Kobo Clara 2E was released about a year and a half ago so it doesn’t really make sense for Kobo to release a new version of it already, especially since the last Clara was on the market for over 4 years before it got replaced, but maybe they changed some of the hardware and want both the color and the black and white versions to be the same.
I also find it a bit odd they’d release a 6-inch device with a color screen since most color content is better suited for larger screens, but PocketBook and Onyx both started out with 6-inch color ereaders as well.
What do you think? Do you have any interest in a color Kobo Libra or a color Kobo Clara?
I’m not really interested in color e-readers, so I would be disappointed with these devices instead of an updated black and white Libra.
No interest at all in a colour ereader. I know there’s a market for comic/graphic novel readers, but surely most people use ebook readers for normal books?
Anyway, I was hoping for a new 8-inch model. Hopefully Kobo will release one before the end of the year.
I second the motion for the 8 inch.
For me color makes more sense with the note taking devices. Yeah, highlighting in different colors might be nice, but not sure how useful it would be. It will be interesting the resolution of the possible new devices. Besides, I will stick with Amazon. Kobo still doesn’t offer the key features that Amazon offers. So, It would be a step backwards for me to get a kobo, even in color.
All the current ereaders with color E Ink screens have a resolution of 300 ppi for black and white and 150 ppi for color.
No, no interest at all in a color Kobo. This is truly disappointing if the information is correct.
So because YOU aren’t interested, it’s disappointing that they’d release something that other people might be interested in.. gotcha.
Personally, not much interest. I don’t think color e-ink is all that great in the current iteration. And I prefer a larger, 8″ screen size.
However, it might not be a bad thing for Kobo as this move might give incentive to a Kindle owner who’s interested in upgrading to color to try Kobo. And might grab the attention of anyone who’s been wanting color, but prefers something more mainstream than Pocketbook or Onyx.
I had a look at those links – I’m pretty certain the ‘colours’ they are referring to refers to the colours of the bezels – I don’t think they are releasing colour eink screens. Just my 2c.
Would be interested in an updated Libra with buttons that actually work but will not be buying a colour screen Ereader – I’m sticking to b&w..
Yeah that was my first thought too and I don’t get why nobody is picking up on this. Instead people are discussing a rumour based on a misunderstanding.
Makes me wonder what everyone is reading all the time if their literacy is so basic.
Too me it’s pretty obvious the word “colour” refers to the screen, not the casing. Kobo Libra Color, Black makes a lot more sense than Kobo Libra, Color Black. Nobody ever refers to black as “color black”, it’s just black, like the product pages for the current black Libra 2. Using that same website as an example: Kobo Libra 2 e-book reader Touchscreen 32 GB Wi-Fi Black.
Onyx’s color Note Air models are outselling their black and white versions so there’s more of a market for color E Ink than people think and it would be bad business for Kobo to ignore it. Most of the people that are disparaging color E Ink have never even seen a Kaleido 3 screen in person. The internet is weird like that.
If there will be a 10 inch colour Kobo in the near future, I will certainly get it. But my priority remains, for now, the Note Air3 C. Along with colour, the major attraction for me is the available hardware and software to read through pdfs easily, and in e-ink, of course.
I’m really disappointed. Even if the libra and clara have color eink, what I really wanted from the fcc leaks was a Kobo Sage 2 with better battery or an Elipsa 3. I have no interest in ereaders less than 7.8″ in size or that don’t have stylus support. I want to replace my Boox Nova Air 1 that developed a cracked screen after only 18 months.
There is only one thing that interests me with color readers, high graphic content ebooks, mm
Anga or comics. I have a ton of how to ebooks that would make sense with a large 9 or 10 inch device. I just don’t get paying a premium for a 6 or 7 inch device.
Since they really just brought out the Clara 2e, do you think the other Clara could be 6 inches with page turn buttons?
Yes and tey are selling colour clara for 131, 84 sold 🙂 and 2E for 130. Good marketing how to bring people to death website.
Well, if that turns to be the case in the end and since I’m not interested in a color model, I guess I won’t feel sorry for buying the Libra2 this year and not having waited for an improved/newer one.
I am not interested in color for e-readers. This feature is irrelevant to me when I read fiction. I am not interested in 6- or 7-inch devices, either.
I read both fiction and non-fiction, but honestly, those books of illustrated fiction that I read generally have BW or grayscale images, not color.
As for the non-fiction I read, frequently the same thing is true.
There’s very few books that I have in my personal library that actually *need* or even use color. Most are cookbooks. I usually put those on my tablet, since for photographs, it’s better to see good color than what e-ink can currently deliver. That, and my tablet is larger, making for easier reading in the kitchen.
Eventually, if color e-ink improves, I think I’d like a color reader. But I don’t feel that it is quite ready for prime time yet. And for me, anything less than an 8″ screen would be a no.
It is very unlikely that any of this is true. Kobo doesn’t have any colour models, now they would release two straight away? Nah, don’t think so. Also they do care about users opinion (somewhat), and here and even on reddit the majority of people don’t want any colour reader. A refreshed Sage is much more needed, and/or a new, faster Libra in quality casing. The latter maybe won’t happen, but an improved Sage more likely than a colour and a B/W Clara at the same time.
FWIW, I think this is a step in the right direction. E-ink is one of the slowest developing technologies. I hope to get my mitts on a 200PPI colour e-ink screen in the next few years, if I’m to be optimistic. Kobo bringing it will be ideal, but Onyx will do too.
I have to read lots of data with graphs, often in different colors. Not possible to read these in b/w.
Can’t wait to send these pages to an erader and read it outside in beautiful sunny weather.