Is the Plastic Logic Que ProReader Too Niche Too Soon?

January 7, 2010 By Dena Cassella

Is the beautiful new Plastic Logic Que proReader too niche too soon? Tell us what you think...

The new Plastic Logic Que proReader has been aimed toward the business world with its sleek design, quick response and Microsoft Office syncing abilities. So far the slim device has been getting rave reviews from the few hands-on people have experienced at CES this year. Beautiful as this device is, it makes us wonder—is the Que proReader too niche for this already niched market? Plastic Logic CEO Richard Archuleta better hope not. “We want to to deliver all the advantages of paper without any of the drawbacks,” Archuleta told reporters today.

The Que proReader seems ideal for any business professional with a host of business publications providing content for its platform, including the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, All Things Digital and Forbes. This device is shipping in mid-April in two versions: The $649, 4GB model with capacity for 35,000 documents, and the $799, 8GB model that holds 75,000 documents. So this device is no quickie splurge—you may feel the emptiness of your pocketbook for a while, especially in this economy.

In contrast, perhaps the niche audience will step forward to claim this device as their own– the $650 and $700 price tag is a petite investment for this stylish paperless brief case.

Here’s an honest question—and we hope to get honest answer from all you tech-loving readers: How do you think the Que proReader will do in the newly blooming eReader market? Is this device too niche too soon? What do you think…

Showing 19 comments

Radu at 4:18am 14th January 2010 Hmm, I read the posts, the problem with the Apple Slate (and I am a diehard Mac user) is that it uses conventional LCD diplay, so no e-ink, hence no paper-like reading experience (not easy on the eyes also). I already have an iRex Iliad for 2 years, but i want to buy either the QUE or the Skiff (when it comes in Europe, of course).
Mike at 7:58am 10th January 2010 For business, I'm still waiting for a device that I can use to manage my whole day - with great battery life and light weight. I specifically would like to be able to take notes in meetings (post-meeting handwriting recognition on a pc might be nice, but not mandatory). In fact, for notes, I still use a very old Dell Axim 50v with Phatpad software so I never have to manage paper notes after the meeting. The Samsung device offers this capability, but it doesn't appear to offer a calendar feature, nor the ability to import Word, Excel and PDF read-only files as the Plastic Logic device. I'm unclear if the "markup" feature could be used for taking and saving notes. Tablets seem too cumbersome, heavy, boot slowly and have poor battery life. Price is irrelevant to me, although I might continue to hold out for color.
grumpy3b at 2:51pm 8th January 2010 one need not look only to aPplE for a solution, there are going to be a number of slate tablet computers out over the rest of the year. And for the majority of people, they will prefer a Win7 based reader over an apple product simply because they already have all their software for Winows. I doubt an apple tablet, even if it is a true PC device, will be able to run any of the virtual machine apps out there so one can use Windows in an emulator. I know I would not go to that length even if it means waiting the rest of the year for the right slate device.
grumpy3b at 2:45pm 8th January 2010 but no web browser from what I have seen or read...which means no true web access.
dang at 10:59am 8th January 2010 They have a version that has wifi/3g support.
dang at 10:59am 8th January 2010 I would say apple has been pretty innovative, through out their history. I'm no Apple fan boy, but I do appreciate some of their products.

I know they didnt have the first MP3 player, but when they came out with the iPod, iTunes and the iStore, the integration between those 3 and the ease of use was extremely innovative. Look how many years it's been and no one has come close.

I can't speak for Apple's strategy for why they do or don't release a particular product, but they are more narrow focused.

You can read PDFs on the Kindle 2, Nook and Sony e-readers.

I agree with you on the Que. It looks promising, and it looks amazing in person.

I disagree with you on your apple statement. A product won't succeed just because they spend money on marketing. Hell, there are plenty of examples of this through history. If the product sucks, people won't buy it.
Anand at 8:48am 8th January 2010 " Apple has the background of making great products. "

What great product has Apple made to convince you of this?

Apple did not invent the portable music player. I have an iPod touch, two iPod nanos. They are good devices but they are definitely not worth the hype they get in the press. Apple does not want to get on the netbook bandwagon because it deems them to be junk. I have a netbook that takes me the one extra step my notebook would not allow, and therefore represents a evolution. It represents a level that computer manufacturers refused to reach out, for ages, until Asus stepped up. Apple puts together high-quality computer hardware with proprietary software that works very well but there is no innovation there, no greatness. All the present ereaders suffer from one or the other major defects that seriously cripple them. I cannot read pdfs on the kindle 1/2 or the nook, or the foxit eslick, sony reader etc etc. I cannot search pdfs or have organized folders on the kindle DX.

I print out a number of pdfs every week. I have to print out pdfs looking for specific information I need which may be in a small part of the document but I have to print the whole thing to read through anyway. Reams and reams of printed pdfs get scattered everywhere I work, they get misplaced.

The Que seems to tackle a lot of these issues. Whether it will actually solve them remains to be seen. No single device may ever do that.

But no - Apple will save us. Why? Because they make 'great products'. More like they make products which we have think are 'great' because of their marketing machine.

Cheers
Anand
grumpy3b at 6:27am 8th January 2010 why the shiny black bezel/case? It going to look awful after the first three minutes...a nice matte finish in black should have been the way to go I would have thought.

And yes I feel this is too niche a device from jump street. There are companies cutting back on staff and even necessities already. The device costs as much as a nice laptop anymore, and I am talking business grade build.

The markup features are interesting for sure but the security of sending docs around concerns me. If someone buys this simply as a way to receive and read documents, books, etc. There are cheaper options which will work just as well.

I need to see more and maybe a nice diagram of the workflow of the system which this device is designed to function within.

We could use about 4-6 large display readers this year but I am not sold on the benefits of the Que. I sure hope there is a non-glossy version, if not that alone is enough to make me deny the purchase of any Que devices.
InterestedButOverpriced at 6:25am 8th January 2010 I guess the folks at PL are isolated from the recession that the rest of the country is experiencing. Even for business users this is pricey!!! and with no Internet/HTML/web browsing????
dang at 7:34pm 7th January 2010 Since when has apple ever made a new product available as a public prototype? Apple has the background of making great products.

That's like saying BeOS has lots of public, open, beta products, so of course they are going to win over Microsoft.
Anand at 7:31pm 7th January 2010 Que has a working prototype for months. The product is in the market now. It is based off plastic electronics.

And Apple also has a device with a color screen, that will cost the same as it competition, not seemingly based on plastic, has no prototype public yet and yet will put ereaders to rest?

Wrong on all counts.
Baxter B. at 7:29pm 7th January 2010 The sleek design. So I dont look like a fumbling fool shuffling through stacks of paper documents.
dang at 7:13pm 7th January 2010 Might want to wait till the Apple Tablet comes out in a couple months. Its supposed to have a 10-inch screen, color display and cost around the same price - $800. I have a feeling Apple will put a lot of these eReaders to rest.
Dena C. at 7:13pm 7th January 2010 That's awesome-- what are some of the Que features you're particularly psyched about?
Baxter B. at 7:07pm 7th January 2010 Coming from a person who travels 200+ days of the year for business. 800 dollars is a very small price to pay for the convenience of the product. I can't wait to get my hands on this baby!! I'm glad people are finally talking about it.
Dena C. at 6:56pm 7th January 2010 That's true but so far the reports from CES and a few people who got an early grab on the device have raved about it-- basically calling it one of the best eReaders out there. But of course those at CES worked well, they were being showcased. I do agree that it is a lot of money. I'm just not sure if the eReader trend will continue and if these devices will be more common than not...

anyone have any suggestions/comments?
Malia at 6:36pm 7th January 2010 Thats a lot of $$ to spend on an eReader thats in its first generation. I'd wait until they perfect it before spending that much dough
Dena C. at 5:34pm 7th January 2010 Good point. DO you think any companies would take on a whole slew of Ques for their work force? I bet Plastic Logic has some bulk-purchase coupon some where :)
Interested at 5:17pm 7th January 2010 At this price the customer service and support must equal the expectations of the business user and not devolve to the consumer level.