Here at Insight Media, we are always excited by, and interested in, the current and future trends in electronic display technologies. Sometimes we are enthusiastic, sometimes a little more critical, but we’re always interested in even the smallest of trends in the industry. As a reader there is a very good chance you are also a member of this industry, or at least closely connected or interested in this field. Now here comes my question to you:

Norbert Hildebrand
Insight Media Analyst

What will leave a greater mark on the display industry in the future 3D Displays or EBRs?

What do I mean by that? In the past, whenever a new technology came along, the market was interested in the impact on sales and business models. Think back to the introduction of the radio - a luxury item back then and I’d bet you don’t even know how many radio capable devices you have in your house today. (Don’t forget to count your computers and Smartphones with radio streaming via the Internet.) My point is that once a new generation grows up with a luxury item such as a radio, TV or cell phone, they will later buy this item for their own use with little or no afterthought, especially as prices drop to the point of making the device affordable to almost everyone. This greatly impacts the industry, paving the road for further development and improvements in such devices.

Let me give you another example. When the Nintendo Game Boy was introduced in 1989, it was one of only several handheld game consoles at that time. As history has shown, it started a massive run on such devices selling in very significant numbers. By 2000 they were crossing cumulative sales of 100 million units worldwide. If we assume an average age 5 - 10 years for the children who first encountered the Game Boy back in 1989, this group is today falling into the 15 - 31 year old age bracket. I believe a good part of the Smartphone’s success story is based on this age group as they grew up with a handheld gaming device and now embrace today’s cousin, the Smartphone. But besides the business impact, there was also a sociological impact that changed the world even more than anticipated. New use models developed and it became acceptable to play electronic games as opposed to playing real sports outside — a trend that has still impacts the development of children today. I am not preaching against or in favor of any behavior here, I am just observing effects of this trend in today’s society.

Now we have the two darlings of today’s technology world - the EBR and the 3D display. Both of them are creating significant interest on technology blogs and increasing interest from a business perspective. Insight Media has published several reports on various aspects of both technologies (check out our website for more information on the available reports - http://www.insightmedia.info/yearlyreports.php), and we believe that both technologies have the substance to make a significant impact on the display industry.

The EBR is on course to re-invent the publishing and printing industry. Not a small feat by any means, especially when you keep in mind that Time-Life Magazine put the Gutenberg press on top of their list of the second millennium inventions that changed the world. So far the business impact has reached a high enough level of activity to attract the attention of most of the major electronics manufacturers, increasing the development speed of new and improved use models. Further growth is expected and many believe that new display technologies like electrophoretic, electro-chromic, electro-wetting and electro-fluidic, among others, have the potential to push these devices even further into the consumer electronics limelight. How about watching TV on the beach with your Kindle 5, or pulling out that rollable display to read the New York Times in 16point font, without glasses?

On the other hand, the 3D display is creating an immersion effect similar to a real theater or stadium. Judging by the size of the characters or players, the 3D TV might even show you more detail than you can observe from the last row of a baseball or football stadium. Undisputedly, the TV had a huge impact on our lives and continues to influence our societies (think about the impact of televised political debates) on a daily basis. Can 3D displays increase this impact even further? Just imagine a holographic display in your house where you can follow the actual game and walk around and observe the players from their perspective. For those of you who think this is a little too ‘Star Trekky’, this will happen eventually and today’s 3D is just the start of this development.

Now back to my question:

Which technology will leave the greatest mark in the future of the display industry, EBR or 3D Display? Or, are we the first generation to have invented two major technologies at the same time? What do you think; is the electronic pen mightier than the holographic picture? Let me know.

Reply to the author