Long a popular underdog in Germany, the Canadian e-readers haven’t been available here since mid-2017.
The originally purely Canadian company Kobo (an anagram of “Book”) was founded in 2009 (originally a subsidiary of Indigo Books & Music) and was acquired in late 2011 by the Japanese internet company Rakuten. Kobo operates internationally and has been active on the German market since 2011.
With the Kobo Touch, the company quickly gained popularity in this country and made a name for itself in the local eBook community. The minimalist, almost buttonless design of the device was relatively unique at the time, and its especially easy operation also made a positive impression.
History
In 2012, Kobo introduced its first illuminated eBook reader. The Kobo Glo impressed particularly with its uniform lighting and the significantly expanded software features that had been added to the Kobo Touch over time. Kobo uses largely the same software across all its eBook readers and still provides updates for the Kobo Touch today.
The Kobo Aura HD followed in 2013 and impressed both with its built-in lighting and its unique, high-resolution 6.8-inch display. The Kobo Aura hit the market in fall 2013 and was initially positioned in the premium segment at a price of 149 euros. A distinctive feature of the Kobo Aura is its flush front, as is often the case with common tablets.
In 2014, the Canadian-Japanese e-reading specialist finally unveiled the Kobo Aura H2O, intended to serve as the flagship high-end model against the competition. Besides being waterproof (IP67 certified), the new device also features a 6.8-inch E Ink Carta display with around 264 ppi (1430×1080 pixels).
Kobo devices were available primarily through domestic electronics retailers such as Media Markt, Saturn, Euronics, Libro, etc.
Kobo and Tolino
That changed over time, however. Even though Kobo was very popular with digital reading fans, the Canadian company struggled to gain a foothold in Germany.
With the takeover of the technology partnership with Tolino, the strategy ultimately changed as well. Kobo withdrew from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and has since been leveraging synergies with the Tolino alliance in e-reader development. As a result, Kobo e-readers are now only available as imports.