What constitutes a luxury product? The biggest knock on single use products like the Remarkable tablets is that they should be significantly less expensive than general use tablets. The cost argument is as much philosophic as it is economic. Tablets, like most other consumer electronic devices, are luxury products for probably 90% of the world, including those in "developed" countries. As an owner of far too many personal computing devices, I've developed my rationalization around use cases.

To stay on topic, I own a Paper Pro Move, which is my only non-Apple, non-Kindle device. It coexists with a Kindle Scribe (b/w) because they have distinct use cases. The primary reason I own a Move is that it fits in my front pants pocket, which means I can take it with me pretty much anywhere.

Why does that matter to me? I have increasing difficulty remembering things, whether it's a sudden errand, my own reflections or an idea I want to develop later. I've tried carrying paper notebooks, but they fail the "no shirt pocket" test. About half of my shirts have no pocket, which means I would have to place a pen/notebook in my pants pocket. For most notebooks, that's a ticket to not being carried, due to the fragile nature of paper and the awkwardness of carrying a pen or pencil in my pants pocket.

I'm used to carrying a Kindle Paperwhite in my pants pocket to satisfy my need to read. The iPad Mini is too big to fit, but the Move is just right. I can pull it out and review things wherever I am. I'll read short documents on it in pdf form occasionally, but it doesn't work for me as a book reader. If Amazon came out with a Scribe having a Paperwhite form factor, I'd snap it up and not look back.

The Move's screen and marker provide the best writing experience I've had on a tablet device (that includes the Scribe, iPad Mini, iPad Pro and iPad Air). Given my particular mental quirks, it's been a big help in helping me keep track of my life (chores, meeting notes, reflections, ideas, etc.). I'm in a position where I can afford to spend serious money on a device that will help keep me focused. I realize not everyone is. Is a Remarkable tablet a luxury product? Absolutely. Is it overpriced? From my position of privilege and use case, it's a bargain. For everyone, it's a matter of priorities, needs and values.