Interactive Displays

1 Million Interactive Flat Panels Sell in 2016

• By Richard Chang
• 03/03/17

Interactive flat panel displays (IFPDs) did well in the education and corporate markets last year, selling one million units in 2016, according to a recent report by market research firm Futuresource Consulting.

By the fourth quarter 2016, 68 percent of all interactive display sales were IFPDs. The growth has been considerable, with a compound annual growth rate of 59 percent from 2013 to 2016, and the growth is forecast to continue.

On the other hand, the interactive whiteboard (IWB), the predecessor to IFPDs, is on the decline. Yet, the two technologies combined contributed to 1.6 million displays in 2016, the report said.

The United States had a 24 percent annual volume growth for this product, value grew by 36 percent with rapid transition to larger size IFPDs, and half of sales are now for over 70-inch screens, the report said. Over two-thirds of U.S. classrooms now have an interactive display, and the level of growth is forecast to continue.

This market has previously been dominated by suppliers who had originally developed their products to service education markets, designed for teacher’s daily use, the report said. To date, uptake of interactive displays in the corporate sector has been limited.

The entrance into the market of global tech giants such as Microsoft, Google and Cisco is changing the industry dynamic. These providers are leveraging their existing infrastructure and collaboration solutions to bring a completely new value proposition to market, the report said. The new entrants are promoting simple, all-in-one meeting room solutions. They can easily create, using touch interactivity, share content amongst attendees (both remotely and in-room) and call via voice or video. Embedded cameras, speakers and sophisticated microphones encourage a high quality interaction as well as easy set up and continuous workflow.

Many IFPDs have embedded PCs so they become stand-alone devices, such as the Microsoft Surface Hub that also integrates existing Microsoft platforms such as Office, Skype and One Note. There are other time-saving features such as Sahara Clevertouch Pro with Clever Share, a USB plug-in module allowing fast connection to a laptop without the need for Wi-Fi or drivers.

The 86-page report examines the current state of interactive display markets across 67 countries, exploring market segmentation, drivers and barriers as well as detailed five-year forecasts.

For more information, visit Futuresource Consulting’s website.