Roll-up iPad’s as eReaders and POS devices.
While having your favorite coffee beverage, a woman sits at the table next to you and pulls out what looks like a folded plastic sheet. She then proceeds to unfold what turns out to be an eReader…
You are shopping for dinning room furniture, as you are sitting down at your dream table, a sales associate, pulls up a chair, sits down at the table, and proceeds to unroll a plastic sheet that has a full screen, and keyboard, then proceeds to take your order.
Do these two things sound like science fiction? Actually, as of today, we are a lot closer to it being reality!
LG Corporations Mobile/OLED division just announced that they are starting mass production of a roll-up, plastic display screen. These new devices have the potential to be used for tablets, iPads, or even TV’s.
The first entry in series of products being produced is called the EPD (Electronic Paper Display). Initially, this type of display will be a monochrome epaper display that has low power consumption requirements. In spite of being able to bend up to 40 degrees, it weighs just half an ounce. Because of the materials involved, it is also impervious to shattering if dropped, something that is currently a big issue for eReaders and iPads.
Even though the first versions that come out will be monochrome, it is highly likely that these will be shortly followed by color versions of the same product. This evolutionary process would likely a similar evolutionary development path that evolved the Black and White TV to the Color TV.