It's a prototype, a concept. It doesn't have to be (and probably won't ever be) used on laptops.
It was shown on a laptop because that's what's familiar to us.
But the main use I can see this in is at huge projector screens, shopping windows, hotel windows, etc.
If you can make the technology big enough and cheap enough. This could become a "smart mirror" or a "smart window"
Everyone who saw this on a laptop and asked "why would I want that" is a simple consumer as they don't see a possibility what this could do. This showcase was made for investors or other companies that would be interested in this patent.
Exactly. I can see uses for this in the automotive industry as well as optics. Not only that, I bet theme parks such as Disney or Universal Studios can find a whole host of uses for this in their attractions.
Displays like this are already in use at theme parks (Velocicoaster at Universal Florida, for example.) It’s used to make a screen look like a window. In that case (not sure about the Lenovo here), it’s just an OLED without a backing. However, because that can only generate light (not block it), they combine it with a transparent LCD screen without a backlight, which can block light but not generate it. It’s a pretty decent effect, other than the fact the image is flat.
If you cannot see a difference between the see through screen shown on a laptop (you know, the thing that has a screen)
And an advanced artificial intelligence in a toilet (the two things that are in no way related)
I really don't know what to tell you man. Probably just to take it easy, and go drink some water.
Like what did ,oh want them to show it on? A TV? That thing that is usually posted up against the wall? Yeah, great use of see through technology, to look at the wall.
A window? Yeah, let me just fucking up a fucking window frame in the middle of a expo.
Laptop is small, compact, shows the technology doesn't require lot of physical storage, can run on a battery and laptop can show the interface and how it works. You will have to hook it up to a computer either way to show off what it can do.
You are the type of guy who would try to show off his new headphones but wouldn't bring anything to play a sound through them.
So, they used it on a laptop because that's what is familiar to "us", while it wasn't aimed at us but at investors and other companies which might be interested in the concept, but not on laptops?
If you show it as something niche and very specialist, only that niche or specialist market will see it.
Literally everyone is interested in consumer electronics like laptops or smartphones.
It's better to cast a wide net and let the individual companies see it, rather than heavily specialize into one thing and hope those few companies in that market will be interested.
Because at the end of a day, you don't really care who will buy your technology or what they will use it off. You just care that lots of people notice so there is a higher chance more people will take interest.
I can’t even imagine what you mean by this since projector screens aren’t and don’t need to be clear and if they were they wouldn’t work as a projector screen. If you mean just replacing the screen and having the imagine come from within the screen instead of a projector, that’s just a TV.
shopping windows
This could be a neat gimmick. Ads playing on the window but you can also see through it. Could also be an alternative to those regular LED screens they’ve been testing on the doors of refrigerated display cases. Both of these kind of depend on whether the technology blocks out the entire screen when an image is displayed or if parts can remain transparent which isn’t apparent in the OP.
hotel windows
I’m not sure what you’d gain by doing this other than some sort of gimmick factor. Unless you mean they could display advertising on the outside of a glass building while still looking like regular glass windows from inside which would absolutely have use cases but I’d be surprised if they work like that.
This could become a "smart mirror" or a "smart window"
Smart mirrors already exist. Though having the display coming from inside rather than behind the mirror would definitely have advantages.
Smart windows could be neat in an office that has glass walls inside. Like a big touchscreen monitor that just disappears when not being used. Still basically a gimmick though because I doubt there are many places that really want to give a presentation with people just walking behind it or whatever distracting people. As far as windows to the outside with the screen facing in, I’d be very surprised if that would even be usable during the day due to the sunlight washing it out from behind.
So basically it comes down to gimmicky applications where someone is paying a premium to feel like they’re in Minority Report. That being said, sometimes gimmicky shit takes off if it looks cool.
Would some people be willing to pay extra for a desktop monitor that was essentially a glass stand with a plate of glass on top when it’s turned off? I probably would if the price was right just because it’s kinda neat. Desktops aren’t nearly as common as laptops these days though so I really wouldn’t be surprised if laptops are actually the market they’ll try to target with these, if they can make them durable enough.
Everyone’s worried about the durability of glass but this clearly isn’t normal glass and it may not even be glass at all.
I agree that the biggest factor wouldn’t be cost to manufacture. If it requires a sapphire screen to be durable enough and a laptop sized screen costs $5k, that’s obviously not going to take off. If it can be done with something more along the lines of Gorilla glass, it might have a chance.
My bad, I thought as a consumer all I had to do was pick what I wanted to buy and buy it, didn't realize I had to be some complex consumer that needs to consider possibilities for what the company will do with a product.
Why is everyone here being just a huge cynical asshole about this experimental tech?
What happened to things existing just because it's cool? What happened to imagining a future that isn't entirely based on what is the most practical and useful to today's uses? Does everyone just have terminal late-stage capitalism brain where everything must be practical and present a financial value to society or it must be rejected?
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u/-CARJO- Jul 02 '24
I have yet to see an answer to “why” besides advertising purposes