I saw a post on MobileRead last week about a survey from Bookshop.org regarding the release of a hypothetical ereader.
The screenshot (posted above) makes it seem like a real device, but it’s entirely “hypothetical” at this point. But it shows that Bookshop.org is seriously toying with the idea of releasing their own dedicated reading device at some time in the near future.
If you read the through hypothetical details, it looks like something thrown together by AI, as some of the specs don’t make any sense for an ereader. For example, it says it has 16GB of RAM, which is totally beyond overkill for an ereader.
They also say it’s going to use a 7″ Gallery 4 color E Ink screen, which doesn’t exist yet—E Ink is still on Gallery 3, and they are far from being good enough for mainstream use, but maybe the fourth gen version is coming soon with some major improvements.
They say the device will run Android 16, and it will be open to installing other reading apps, like Kindle, Kobo, and Libby. I’m not sure if that’s the best strategy for a first gen device from a company that’s never released any hardware products before, unless they’re going to have some other company like Boox that knows what they’re doing build it for them. The problem is it takes a lot of work to optimize Android for an E Ink ereader—a lot of companies think they can slap Android on an E Ink device and call it good, but there’s a lot more to it than that.
If Bookshop.org is really going to release their own ereader, I think they’d be much better off releasing something simple and inexpensive, as opposed to taking a chance with some new unproven screen tech. They already have Android and iOS apps for color content; a black and white device would make more sense for reading ebooks.
I like the mock up of the device shown in the picture. It looks a lot like a Kobo Libra with the buttons on one side, but with some refinements, and the purple strip and back adds some flare (and possibly some grip). But they really need to ditch the idea of using a Gallery screen. Follow the path laid down by long-established companies. There’s a good reason why none of them are using Gallery screens.
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