E-ink, QuirkLogic Launch the 42″ Quilla Display

03.01.2017 Nate Hoffelder 6 Comments

In August I brought you the sad news that there was no possible way to buy a device with a 32″ E-ink screen; they simply weren’t in commercial production. Now it looks like we might soon be able to buy an even larger E-ink display.

E-ink has just announced that they have developed a 42-inch display. It sports a resolution of 2880 x 2160, and is going to be used in an upcoming eWriter device, the QuirkLogic Quilla.

QuirkLogic calls the Quilla an eWriter, but it’s really more of a digital whiteboard. It’s going to be shown off at CES 2016 this week, where we will hopefully see reps standing in front of it, drawing diagrams, making lists, and showing just how much it can do.

And according to the press email, it’s going to be in the hands of beta testers starting in February and on the market by the second quarter.

Edit: From what we’ve seen so far, it looks pretty cool:

“E Ink continues to deliver innovative products to meet the needs of the digital signage market,” said Harit Doshi, head of Signage Business at E Ink. “The world’s largest ePaper display, which was developed based on customer feedback, will enable E Ink to bring low power signage solutions in large form factors that can truly replace static displays.”

On some levels that’s a nifty piece of tech, but did you look at the specs?

This new screen is based on Pearl E-ink, not Carta, so it’s at least a generation behind. It also has a relatively low screen resolution (86 ppi) that is actually less sharp than the 32″ E-ink screen which was announced 3 years back (but still hasn’t reached the market).

I am not trying to bash E-ink here; I am simply frustrated by not having been able to buy that earlier screen, and I would hate to have that happen again.

Fortunately, the new 42″ screen has a much better chance of showing up in classrooms and offices. QuirkLogic is a startup with a single product, the Quilla. That gives QuirkLogic a greater drive to bring it to market, but on the other hand it also means the Quilla is something of a gamble: Will QuirkLogic get it on the market and sell enough units before their capital runs out?

QuirkLogic