What's Next For Electronic Paper Display Technologies? E Ink's Sriram Peruvemba on how he expects the e-reader market to advance.

Extra: Why is contrast a challenge for e-readers? What improvements can be expected in the future?
Peruvemba: Our displays have better contrast compared to [an] ordinary newspaper. But the contrast is lower than, say, a glossy magazine printed on a high-quality paper, using [a] high-grade printer. We are constantly improving the contrast of the display to make it better. Each version of our product has seen improvements in the EO [electro optics].

Extra: One criticism of e-readers is that they are single-function devices. Do you expect e-readers to become multifunctional in the future?
Peruvemba: … [A multifunctional device] has been talked about, but has only happened in a limited sense (e-book applications on smartphones, for example). There are industry folks that believe that electronic books will be read on a multipurpose device, and that this device will be invented in the near future. I agree that there are likely to be multipurpose devices in the future. But they will not be able to cater to the the needs of the serious reader the same way that a dedicated device can. Also, in [the] case of e-textbooks, do we want our children to have a phone and music and games available on a device meant for them to read their school textbooks?

Extra: Are you expecting an "iPod moment" for e-readers?
Peruvemba: … Three things will enable even higher growth: availability of [a variety] content; [ease of] access to content; and price of [both the] content [and] device.