Those who were waiting for Plastic Logic’s version of the Kindle/Kobo/Nook are gonna go to sleep upset tonight because the company has just canceled plans to release it, but the number of people affected is probably pretty small.
Plastic Logic, a 10-year-old company that has just recently made waves as it tried to enter the budding e-reader market, made itself known and showed off prototypes for its e-readers at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in January. That was before the Nook, before the Kobo, and before the iPad.
A lot has changed this year in the e-reader market. A hell of a lot. And now Plastic Logic has to do a lot of rethinking if it actually wants to become a sustainable company in what has become a very competitive market.
So in canceling its Que reader, which was originally slated for an April release but went on the bombard customers with delays, the company will now focus on a new generation of devices that can better compete against the other guys.
The new project line is called ProReader. “We plan to take the necessary time needed to re-enter the market as we refocus, redesign and retool for our next generation ProReader product. This was a hard decision, but is the best one for our company, our investors, and our customers,” said Plastic Logic CEO Richard Archuleta (no relation to American Idol heartthrob David) in a statement. The Que’s website, que.com, now redirects to PlasticLogic.com.
The ProReader was also supposed to be out by now, but it has been delayed as well. There is no word on when this new device will be available.
Customers who placed Que pre-orders when the device was briefly put up for online sales had already been notified that their orders were canceled in June. Plastic Logic never said when it would be available for order again, and now we know it never will.
