14 DAY TRIAL // Touchscreen displays are expected to gain increased traction on the market in the next few years, especially in the smartphhone area, a new report from ABI Research shows.
The research firm suggests that touchscreens will be present on around 97 percent of smartphones by 2016, enjoying impressive growth when compared to their inclusion in today's devices.
Apparently, the rapid adoption of smartphones can be attributed to touchscreen displays as much as to the emergence of 3G connectivity.
Back in 2006, touch screens were present on only 7 percent of the total smartphone volume, but they managed to be included in over 75 percent of the smartphone volume last year.
The increase was of over 325 percent over that period, and should continue at a rapid pace over the next five years as well, the research firm believes.
“The screen is the point of fulfillment for all that a mobile device promises to deliver to its user, so there is little surprise in the impact it can have on its success,” ABI Research notes.
The research firm also notes that the evolution of screen and touch technologies actually triggered the rapid growth of the market.
The older economical resistive touch technology was already replaced in most smartphones with the more elegant projected capacitive technology that was initially included in the Apple iPhone.
However, the screen and touch technologies will continue to evolve, and are expected to further reshape the market for other mobile devices as well.
“Low-cost capacitive touch controllers that use just a single layer of sensors instead of two, and save as much as 30% on the cost, are opening the market for lower-end feature phones,” Kevin Burden, vice president, mobile devices, stated.
“And eReaders, which are the most fragmented device category in both display and touch technology, now have options that not only enable finger touch, but are at a cost that could standardize the segment’s displays.”
Those who would like to learn more on ABI Research’s new report “Mobile Displays and Touchscreens” should head over to the company's website.