Analysts gave Viewsonic Corp's new wireless flat-screen monitors a thumbs down, saying that the US$999 price tag for a 10-inch and US$1,299 for a 15-inch model is just too pricey.
"The price is so high that I think it will deter demand," said Debbie Wu (
Wu says none of Taiwan's top flat-panel manufacturers has plans to produce wireless products this year, and she estimated that the demand for such devices would account for no more than 1 percent of a market, in which 86 million panels were sold worldwide last year.
On Thursday, Viewsonic gave members of the press a sneak preview of their new "AirPanel" wireless flat screen designed to allow users to work on their computers while moving around the home. The screen can be carried from room to room and still remain connected to the computer.
Using a stylus to tap on the AirPanel's touch-screen, users can browse the Internet. The device can be used to operate household appliances, including the television and lighting. By calling up a keyboard on the screen, users can write e-mails and documents. Alternatively, there are sockets on the panel to plug in a keyboard and mouse.
"Inside your apartment you can move up to 50m from your PC and it will still work," said Viewsonic's senior product planning manager, Jason Hsu (
The devices, known in the industry as "smart displays," run on Microsoft software.
"What's really great about the smart displays is they're intelligent," said Microsoft marketing director John O'Rourke, on stage with company chairman Bill Gates at the 2003 Consumer Electronics Show keynote speech in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
"You can just grab a device, pick it up, and you get everything you could do within your PC right on this device."
A pre-launch model of the AirPanel was enthusiastically received at the US' largest technology exhibition, Comdex Fall in Las Vegas in November last year. It was awarded a Best of Comdex award by PC Magazine.
However, after reviewing the AirPanel for the same magazine this month, editor Bill Howard conceded that he is now "less than enthusiastic" about the device. Howard's main concern was the "prohibitive" cost of the AirPanel, saying it was "twice what most buyers would be willing to pay."
But one company rep brushed off concerns about price.
"We believe there are always consumers looking for better products, and willing to pay more for them," said Viewsonic vice president Vincent Wang (
The AirPanel comes with a built-in Intel processor, accounting for the high cost.
Howard also complained that accessing the main PC automatically disabled the AirPanel. In addition, it needs Windows XP Pro to operate, not the standard Windows XP home, which pushes up the cost for users.
The AirPanel's software cannot yet handle wireless video transmission, so it is not possible to watch a movie or short video clip on the screen. Hsu said on Thursday that Microsoft planned to upgrade the software by the end of this year to allow for video transmission, but he admitted that the AirPanel would also need to include an extra computer chip to decode the video, forcing users to buy a new device just 12 months down the line.
It remains to be seen whether there is a market for the product. Hsu said that Viewsonic plans to sell 200,000 AirPanels this year, but industry watchers are skeptical.
"I don't think [200,000] units are possible in 2003," said David Hsieh (謝勤益), director of the Taiwan branch of computer-screen research firm DisplaySearch. "Not enough people have adopted wireless technology yet. Wireless notebooks will be first, then wireless monitors."
Wu also felt 200,000 units was too optimistic a target for this year.
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