Setting the stage for converged mirasol display-enabled devices
Last week found the mirasol displays team in Chicago for the Magazine Publishers Association’s American Magazine Conference 2010. But no sooner did we set foot at the conference than the MPA announced an addendum to its name: The Association of Magazine Media. For an organization centered on publishing to abandon the word “publishers” and adopt “media,” is an important industry acknowledgement around the value of content across platforms and mediums.
This change resonates from the shockwave we’ve witnessed travelling through the publishing industry in the last year. Prior to April and the first large-scale tablet release, publishing companies had not fully realized the impact a large color and interactive format might have on the way readers expect to consume content. The panel discussion I participated in on Tuesday, titled “Life After the iPad: The Changing Content and Device Eco-System” highlights this as well. Some key new research puts this shift into perspective.
Harrison Group, in partnership with Zinio, a leading digital content provider, announced on Monday the initial results of a national consumer survey focused on tablets, e-readers and other smart technologies. They found that 58 percent of tablet and e-reader users are consuming “more digital content than [they] ever thought [they] would.” And compared to the total population of 18-64 year olds, those that own a tablet or e-reader spend 50 percent more time reading magazines and magazine articles.
It’s clear to us that consumers will continue to embrace content delivered on devices that maximize the reading experience wherever they go. We believe that bodes well for mirasol displays, which can bring these devices out of the shadows — enabling full-color, multimedia content that is viewable in direct sunlight, without draining the battery. mirasol displays are being produced at our fabrication facility in Taiwan’s Longtan Science Park and will be shipped to our partner device manufacturers later this year. We expect retail availability in Q1 2011.
Later that week, we attended CTIA: Enterprise & Applications in San Francisco, where Jim Cathey, Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Vice President of Business Development, addressed technology industry leaders in a panel focusing on how mobile devices are revolutionizing enterprise businesses. Check out our Facebook page for notes from Jim’s discussion and updates from mirasol displays at the Women’s Forum For the Economy and Society in Deuville, France.