[zeeveener]

I struggle to understand what the target market is for products like this.

I can't imagine a legitimate market for (in my opinion gimmicky) colour e-readers, and I believe this would be a horrific experience as a daily-use monitor.

Is this intended for some form of advertising or marketing?

[bradly]

I've started to noticed these hardware products in the $500-$1000 that don't really solve any problems. See the $500 digital album art frame that sold out and I do not think ever shipped. Or the Orchid synth which is a $600 musical toy with an amazing amount of included modules and bugs. Patreon and Discord support channels filled with issues and help requests, being met with radio silence or asking for patience or "an update is just wrapping up", all while just feeding the social networks more 5 second clips of people playing an arpeggiated chord and announcing a second drop.

[thih9]

Orchid synth: https://telepathicinstruments.com/products/orchid-limited-pr...

I guess people crave purpose and perhaps a bit of connection too; and they’re willing to spend money in a slightly misguided attempt to find it. Speaking as a person who owns too much music gear.

[bradly]

It's true and I'm no different and in constant contradiction. I'm envious of both the creators of the Orchid and its customers. I don't have money for these kinds of purchases, so these products are not a consideration for myself. Not everyone shares that luxury. Instead, I spend way more time than I'm worth hourly than that $600 fighting the web audio context to make something similar.

[thih9]

I don’t know if you want advice so skip this comment if not; for anyone who is in a similar situation and does:

I’d skip expensive gear and use cheaper replacements or whatever I already have. Pick an iphone, ipad, ableton lite, acoustic guitar, or any other tool or instrument. Use that to make music and have fun. Optionally show my music to other people.

[throwuxiytayq]

I would love to be able to comfortably use my laptop in outdoor conditions. (Or indoors but in a sun-lit area.) This is one of the ways to achieve that. I'd even replace my laptop's screen with an e-ink display if I had that option.

[Fade_Dance]

If you can use a regular monitor with mental hassle they're probably isn't a good reason to consider a product like this. There is some niche appeal to general tech hobbyists who find it cool, and also to the minimalist-yet-buys-expensive-stuff-regularly crowd. Perhaps there are also some use cases like writing a book where it can provide a wonderful experience.

On the other hand a portion of the population has an absolutely horrible time using backlit monitors. Simply put, they will tolerate just about anything to have a usable alternative that doesn't cause migraines and eye strain. I'm getting there, and I can confirm it's a ridiculous experience. Completely destroyed my workflow, to the point where I was very seriously considering digging up my old t60p ThinkPad from over a decade ago because it had a special LCD panel that looked like paper.

[carlosjobim]

Being able to work on a computer when you live in a sunny country.

Our entire civilization has been built to shield office workers in concrete caves so that they can see their screens comfortably.

[financypants]

Let's assume refresh rate and color quality can get "good enough" to where it can work for daily work stuff, excluding gaming or graphic design. Then I see a strong argument for eink. I think we're all damaging our eyes staring at LEDs all day.

[dredmorbius]

Outdoor applications.

Persistent displays.

Daylighting.

Those who prefer illuminated rather than emissive displays.