Quote:
Originally Posted by HansTWN
The focus on low priced devices means that new technologies never get a chance.
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It's not just an issue in low price segments; it is also an issue with expensive products.
SED displays, for one, are clearly better than LCD in some ways and clearly better than plasma in others. The tech works reliably and safely.
But the lawsuit delayed its introduction and by then they were never able to get their manufacturing costs to where a product could be sold at a price that would sustain a volume high enough to justify the investment in the manufacturing facility.
Mirasol faces a similar problem.
No doubt there is a market for a Mirasol android device (with better cpu and firmware than the Kyobo) but not at a price/volume that can justify devoting Qualcomm's fabled billion-dollar manufacturing facility.
The numbers just don't add up.
OLED is another display tech on the fringes of viability; it is ramping up for small screen sizes in mobile devices but getting the economics working for bigger, living room-friendly sizes is no sure thing. With prices in the US$10,000 range for a 55in model vs US$1000-2000 for LCD and plasma, building volume is going to take years. And there is no telling how much better LCD and PDP can get in that time.
Getting the tech working is often the easy part; getting the engineering economics right is more often than not a bear.