Bookeen Story : Chapter 3

Following the success of the the Gen3, the first e-ink Cybook, in early 2008 Bookeen lays the groundwork for a new project which will become the Cybook Opus.

From the beginning, the intent is for the Opus to be a “nomad”. It must be compact (pocket-sized), lightweight, and easy to use. Bookeen takes on the product design in-house in addition to developing the proprietary Boo Reader software, setting Bookeen apart from the numerous companies who, inspired by the success of the Cybook Gen3, Amazon Kindle, and Sony Reader, begin selling OEM readers under their own brands. This marks the inauguration of readers “Made In Bookeen”.

This preliminary design was not selected

The design is honed through many iterations for the most comfortable, lightest shape possible. The first design, after considerable refinement, is finally abandoned in favour of what would be the definitive, ultra-compact design of the Opus, and the Cybook Opus is launched in August 2009 in white, then in mid-2010, in a rainbow of 8 different colours, which become the Opus’ design signature. This new Cybook is the lightest in the world, at only 150 grams.With its 5-inch screen it fits in even the smallest hand and can be easily slipped into a handbag or even a jacket pocket.

This reader also marks the arrival of epub. The Opus will even allow the reader to switch between epub and mobi format for some time, until Amazon (who bought Mobipocket to develop their catalogue) makes the format completely proprietary, and the Cybooks definitively adopt the open, standard epub format.

The Cybook Opus becomes a real success. Sold in over 50 countries, it travels around the globe, the happy nomad it was meant to be, as you can see in the photos sent by Bookeeners the world over for our first Cybook Parade!

Cybook Opus at the beginning of the Longest Road, in Australia. Photo by Marie J.

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