New Futuresource Report: Analysing the Future of Classroom Display Technology

Online, July 20, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Background
The classroom has been quietly benefiting from the digital revolution for many years, with interactive technology changing the face of teaching in a space that had previously seen little or no change for many decades. Over the last 10 years Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) have become the dominant classroom display solution, and in 2009 became a $1 billion industry, with just two vendors enjoying 70% share.

When an industry reaches the $1 billion mark, the strategic and competitive landscape begins to change as new, typically much larger, organisations look to enter the market. This has certainly been the case for the IWB category with the introduction of interactive flat panel displays (IFPDs) and interactive projectors to the market place. Both these technologies have the capacity to significantly alter the shape of the classroom display space, attracting huge multinational electronics vendors with their wealth of resources and appetite for new markets.

However, existing IWB vendors are the specialists in this field and see display hardware as just one element of the classroom mix. A great deal of knowledge and understanding has been built over the years, which has helped vendors develop sophisticated software platforms for teaching and sharing ideas, and complimentary hardware such as voting systems, visualisers and slates. This is widely held to be the critical part of an education focused interactive solution. Moreover, these vendors have spent many years developing relationships with central, regional and district governments which are often the drivers of ICT in the classroom.

There is little doubt that new display technologies will impact the market, but how fast and to what extent are critical considerations for both incumbent IWB vendors and new entrants.

Report Overview
Futuresource has launched a new report which evaluates the future of classroom display technologies, drawing upon the company's unique history of tracking technology in the classroom environment and the wider display hardware industry. The report considers the entire education market from funding models and key usage/technology considerations through to pricing and roll-out scenarios.

Key areas include:
Overview of the current market situation - existing technology, market size, key players, class penetration, route to market and opportunities.
Hardware landscape and future considerations - cost structures, usage issues, impact of alternative display technologies.
Content and software - the impact of new entrants (hardware and software) on incumbent business models and software licensing structures.
Installation issues - impact of IFPD on areas such as transportation, insurance, resource, speed, classroom architecture, etc.
Roll out scenarios - scenarios and volume forecasts developed with particular focus on cost matrix and software licensing models.

For more information on this report or to make a purchase, contact Chris McIntyre-Brown on +44 (0)1582 500 172 or email [email protected].