Plastic Logic delays QUE proReader 'a bit longer,' cancels pre-orders
By Tim Stevens 
posted June 25th 2010 9:38AM
posted June 25th 2010 9:38AM
[Thanks, Don; spider photo courtesy of mrpbps]
We've been working hard to bring the world's first product based on plastic electronics technology to market -- and have decided that delaying the device a bit longer will result in a better product for you. With that in mind, we need to let you know that since your unit will not ship on June 24 as planned, our automated ordering system has automatically cancelled your order.
We do hope, however, that you will stay on our list of customers interested in knowing about our progress and details of our upcoming product shipment. If you'd like to remain on our list, please click here.
We continue to be excited about the potential that our thin, light and shatter-proof ProReader will offer to business users everywhere, and hope we can count you among the first to experience this groundbreaking device.
Wow. Canceling preorders is NEVER cool.
RIP KING OF POP
@SolidSnake
Who ever did the web graphics really messed up on the pointer finger..
Your WAY off. lol
@uckApple Hey, gimme a break. I'm a writer not a graphic artist, Jim.
@MoonWalkerCTE
He died a year ago, get over it. You didn't mean a thing to him, he didn't even know you. This is almost an insult to people who are suffering losses with family members, like me.
@techee44 At least show some respect for this man, He has achieved many things in his lifetime and has the right to be remembered. I don't go insulting you dead family members do I?
@TimStevens
Excellent job even if it doesn't match up. I thought this was was the original image.
Very creative!
@crapNstuff Thanks for not being a hater.
@techee44
techee44 wrote "This is almost an insult to people who are suffering losses with family members, like me".
Uh, hate to burst your pity party, but EVERYONE in the world deals with losing a family member.
@techee44 well then, He doesnt know you or your family either! Not trying to be rude but he is an MJ fan and I still respect MJ for what he was, He was, is , and always will be a legend. And I hope whatever problems you're going through get solved.
Anywho, what the hell is this apple? I gotta say, this revolutionary iphone 4 design is not that revolutionary!!! the is so far the worst build quality of iPhone.
Dude, that photoshop is CHOICE. I literally lol'd.
one word :yuck! (about the photo).
Is that "emo" Peter Parker?
I'd say that's all she wrote.
If I may digress, Engadget's comedy photoshops of PR images in connection to all that goes wrong in the gadget world are a fun little extension of the editorial cartoons tradition. There's probably a nice treatise to be written about the phenomenon as a whole, but in the mean time, have you considered doing a gallery of them on the site?
@sockatume That's not a bad idea...
@sockatume I agree, or maybe this is a good idea for a dedicated site....sifted from all the worlds news sites?
@Fangorn81 Maybe I'll throw together a blog or twitter for this sort of thing then.
@sockatume
This is certainly one of the best 'shops I've seen on the site. Bravo.
I was so stoked about this eReader...until they announced the price. I hope they can bring this to market at a REASONABLE price. If they can get it out for less than $500 I'm on board. If they can get it out...
@MojoYugen
I, like you, am patiently awaiting a proper device with a larger format screen and native support for many formats the science, medicine, and business worlds use. When Plastic Logic announced this device, it was the clear choice.
Now we are almost a year after the initial reveal, beyond the revelations of CES and the various new display technologies demoed on the floor. If they had released this in the spring, I would have one by now. If they had met their release date a few days ago, I might still get one with reservations. But...
Now, I think spending any kind of premium on a black and white traditional e-ink display is throwing money away. And it isn't the much-vaunted Pixel Qi that makes me think so; Pixel Qi saves 50% to 75% power compared to a standard LCD screen when off, not a whole lot when the backlight is on. No, I'm talking about Mirasol - full color, fast enough refresh times to handle video and smooth interface elements, and it sucks less power than E-INK displays when it's in motion.
The first Mirasol device may not be open enough to support the formats I want, or have a large enough screen to view a full-page journal. But eventually one will be released. And that, that will be the device I buy. (I was desperately hoping the Courier would come to fruition with dual Mirasol screens).
We all seen the bad sequences of rushing products to the market (Evo, iPhone 4, ... etc), so if the delay will bring us a better product i am all for it.
Hey, you guys know this was originally scheduled to be released in early 2009. I kid you not.
Great photoshop btw.
Just how many pre-orders were there on a $800 Ereader I wonder?
10? 100? 1000?
I doubt the existence of any amount over 500.
the company's probably going under
@csc3 They may have a fighting chance since the Skiff Reader was killed prior to its launch. Because of that, the Que is the only game in town for a really big screen reader.
Prior to the iPad's launch, everyone was under the delusion that Apple's tablet would cost $1,000, and expected to set a price point at $700 or so to undercut it. When the iPad shipped at $500, it was far too drastic of a difference. This effect has now claimed Courier, Adam, and Skiff; others are in the path of destruction.
@macserv Where have you seen the skiff reader is cancelled? I haven't seen anything about that. I know news corp have bought them or are in the process of buying them at the moment.
Epic fail is epic. Overpriced, niche hardware, continually delayed. To think I used to want one of these - I've owned two different e-readers and now an iPad in the time it took them to get to this point, and it's not even got a reliable release date!
The boffins were great, but the marketing and logistics teams screwed up all their hard work.
I thought the photoshop was great.
I just wish we could see the actual product. I want to know what an $800 eReader looks like.
When it cames out, e-readers will have color already ....
I hope the Skiff reader doesn't suffer the same fate, these are the two eReaders I have been most interested in.
As for comparing the cost I don't think it's fair to compare to the cost of a small kindle surely a better comparison is the Kindle DX as the screen is at least nearly the same size.
May it be a warning to Notion Ink. Always better to overdeliver than overpromise.
Please, comparing the price of this (if they actually deliver) to the nook is like comparing the price of a dumb phone to a smart phone.
I agree that the top price is too high and would like to see it about $200 cheaper. they should also fix that apple-esque bit of not including an sd slot.
But the value that it brings is much higher than the nook or kindle. Just as you shouldn't expect an iPhone 4 to be compared price-wise to a Samsung Juke, you shouldn't compare the price of this to a Kobo or Nook or Kindle.
Aah I remember back in the days when this device was attractive!
This is quite unfortunate news after a week of good news (for readers) from Amazon and BN. The QUE eReader was one of the few devices that many, including myself, were really looking forward to reviewing. It is aimed at a higher-end market and boasts features that reflect that: A very well designed interface, a highly responsive touchscreen keyboard, and a full sized e-ink screen...all ideal for business documents like excel spreadsheets, powerpoint presentations, word documents, magazines, and newspapers. Oddly enough, you can even process email through the QUE. And of course, books naturally become a joy to read on such a fully featured device.
I'm disappointed that it's been delayed yet again, but at least they will make sure it is an even better product when they do finally release it. Too much to say here, but I have continued my reaction with some more thoughts on my blog. Please check it out: http://ebookreader-ben.com/plastic-logic-que-proreader-delayed-second-time/
I KNEW it! Jesus and Nostradamus would be proud of me! These guys will never make it out into the market... if they do it will be to stumble and die in a sore mess.
Yes I would like it more than the pad, but I "wouldn't" pay more than the pad too = what I and most of the people think including dudes at PlasticLogic. I just wonder what are they saying to their investors? "Hey, sorry we're behind 3 years in releasing!" "Whoops!" ?
When the iPad got released at $150 cheaper price they lost the train.
Note on the door of PlasticLogic:
"I was here but you weren't, so I continued.
Best wishes for the future,
"OPPORTUNITY"
GJMS