Analyzing the trend toward bigger and better screens

While researching the top trends in consumer electronics, 3M data scientists noticed one recurring theme: screens; specifically, the fact that they are now becoming ubiquitous. So much of our lives depend on devices like smartphones, which we communicate with through screens, which led the scientists to conclude that “the ease of use, quality, and benefit of a screen’s interface are the keys to progress and adoption.”

Worth noting is that, according to preliminary data from the study, people are willing to pay more for a screen that produces better color. Consumers want the most vibrant and lifelike display possible when considering what device to purchase, so color is a major factor in screen production. 

Televisions, of course, are one of the most common devices that a customer will strongly consider a color display when purchasing. In accordance with this finding, the Radiocommunication Assembly put out new recommendations for standards for Ultra HD TVs in 2013.  The new proposed recommendation is Rec. 2020, as opposed to the current Rec. 709. The top-row images below show how much a more saturated color gamut like the one proposed in Rec. 2020 would change TV displays (the current television images are in the bottom row).

Smartphones are some of the most common devices around today, and as that number increases, so to does the number of uses it can perform. For example, in China, a smartphone can be used to hail a taxi. In Japan, people are actually beginning to do away with their personal credit cards in favor of paying with their mobile phones instead (vis-à-vis mobile scanning). 

Since the main way we interact with our smartphones is through screens, consumers will definitely make purchasing decisions based on which screens are easier to interact with as well as which ones display images better.

This consumer preference ties in to what 3M calls “The Big Convergence,” which is the trend toward all of our devices being able to perform the same functions, rather than each one only having one function. 
A good example: we can watch movies on our phones, not just on our TVs, and we can use our TVs to answer our phones. 3M believes that this trend “will continue to influence the way companies deliver what we seek, the variety of delivery platforms and technologies that exist, the way products are marketed to us, and ultimately, how we integrate them into our daily lives.”

The final part of the trend toward bigger and better screens in all of our devices applies to the Internet of Things. With computerized everyday devices becoming the norm, and wearables becoming increasingly popular, the trend is to have screens on these devices. For example, vending machines with display panels instead of windows on the front could soon become common, with technologies like 3M’s “printed light”(also called hybrid graphics), being constantly developed. Even smaller devices, like the Fitbit and the Samsung gear tool set manage to include a display screen.

3M predicts that, as these trends play out, we will see much more competition over screen design in all areas of consumer electronics this year.

By MaryElizabeth Koepele

Story via 3m.com