I saw this posted on reddit and thought some folks over here might find it interesting to speculate about.
Kobo’s CEO is always posting stuff on social media, and the picture above shows a recent post with a tease about some new hardware coming soon.
Some folks are getting riled up about the possibility of a Kobo Libra with a black and white E Ink screen finally getting released, but that’s probably just wishful thinking at this point. That would qualify as a “big” hardware surprise, in my book.
Some people keep bringing up the recent FCC lisings, but those products already exist in the form of revised Clara models. There are no new FCC listings that would indicate a new model is coming soon. And it’s definitely not going to be something called the Kobo Spa, as that has been completely debunked.
I think this is most likely going to be something other than a new Kobo reading device. I’m thinking maybe it’s some kind of new accessory or stand or case, maybe a new stylus, or something down those lines.
Whatever it is I bet it will have something to do with appealing to the social media crowd. Kobo seems to make a lot of decisions based on what’s popular and trending on social media lately, and considering the source of the tease, there’s likely going to be some angle that ties back into that.
The new hardware will probably be a letdown for most people, so try not to get your hopes up, but there’s a chance it could be something cool. I just don’t think it’s going to be a new ereader. It doesn’t make sense to release a new white Clara Colour and then another new model a month or so later.
What do you think the “new little hardware surprise” could be?
Would a Mini be considered hardware?
I really liked the Kobo Mini, and for some reason it’s catching some interest lately as a possible candidate for a new device in the future, but nobody seems to remember that Kobo ditched the Mini rather quickly, and it’s the only model aside from their first two non-touchscreen models that Kobo stopped supporting. And they stopped supporting it a long time ago. The last official firmware update was in 2016. Kobo went out of their way to cut the Mini off, and now they want to act like it never existed, so I don’t think it’s ever coming back.
Oh well, one can hope. There is enough interest in the Mini out there.
Probably the least thing we need. My guesses are: BT page turner, a power case, BT head/earphones for audiobooks, or an updated stylus maybe? Nothing less useful comes to my mind…
A new pencil?
LITTLE hardware surprise? Maybe a bluetooth page turner accessory? I’d be interested in that.
It’s definitely accessory, so I really don’t care. There is no accessory I need for my Kobo.
Perhaps the word “little” is being used facetiously. Maybe it’s not so “little” after all. If not, using that word sure renders the word “surprise” a lot less exciting.
I would love to see a Remarkable/Kobo combo. The best of both worlds.
Remarkable for note-taking and Kobo for e-reading.
It would be a Beast!!
Sadly I do think it will end up being something like a page turner. I understand some people love their page turners, but it would be disappointing because there’s already sort of a large number of tiny available Bluetooth gaming controllers etc. that function perfectly well. And I understand Rakuten may just want to offer a first-party device with something purpose-built for compatibility, to capture that market. But even so it seems like a niche that’s likely to be smaller than even the market for people who want a stylus.
Personally I hope it’s a very small “jeans pocket-able” device like a Boox Palma. I recognize the possible irony in saying a page turner is a niche thing, when asking for a reader the size of a cell phone… but darn it, I would read so much more if I could pull out my reader while standing in line at the DMV or the grocery store etc!