Multiple Display Market
The Multiple Display Market and Consumer Attitudes
Executive Summary
The number of users who employ a multiple-display system is increasing, and there are some natural and subjective reasons that are holding back that expansion.
- Almost everyone contacted agrees there is a need for a multidisplay system and believes he or she would realize increased productivity by having more screen space for their electronic desktop.
- Productivity estimations average to 42% improvement.
- Primary applications users expect to benefit from multi-displays are content creation, general office use, gaming, and CAD.
- Obstacles to obtaining additional displays are: price, Desk/office space, confusing to use, and heat, noise, radiation.
- Fifty-four percent of the people surveyed who are not users of multiple display systems said they plan to obtain additional displays within a year or less.
- Thirty-two percent of the people surveyed said they were using multiple displays now, and 55% of the non-users said they want to or plan to use multiple displays in the very near future.
- Forty-two percent of the mobile computer users surveyed said they use a multiple display setup, and 71% of them said they use it in an extended desktop mode.
- The number of systems that are currently being equipped with multiple displays is estimated to be 2,728,000 or 1.9% of the units shipped in 2002.
- The market is expected to grow to three-percent of the annual shipments of all types of PCs, and that may be a conservative
Lack of user awareness
There seems to be a real opportunity for differentiation by the card companies to make a big deal about multi display from one card. The card and chip companies seem to treat it as an Oh by the way. Also, it's a self fulfilling prophecy that not many people use them there fore we won't spend any money advertising them. Said one respondent, "Multiple displays could become more prevalent if the public was educated about using the feature."
Another commented, "Never viewed multiple displays in computer stores," and another said, "There is too little information and knowledgeable help in stores. I would buy a second monitor sooner if I knew more about setting-up of dual monitors on PCs."
Several of the respondent's comments indicated the survey introduced them to the concept of multiple displays. One respondent said, "Not sure I know what you are referring to—multiple display???" Another commented, "Sounds great, don't know enough to comment more." Many asked for more information about it.
The conclusion seems obvious, users will benefit from multiple displays, modern operating systems can support multi-tasking, modern computers have plenty of power to run multiple applications, and almost all graphics controllers being shipped for their last two to three years can support multiple
Table of Contents
Executive Summary 1
Lack of user awareness 1
Multi Display Market Assessment 3
Why Multi-display? 3
The more you can see, the more you can do
3
User Survey
6
Methodology 6
What are the advantages of using multiple
displays? 11
How are people using multiple displays now?
11
Multi-display use by mobile users 13
Applications that could be used more effectively
with multiple displays 16
Non-users of multiple displays 22
Awareness that more than one monitor
can be run from a asingle PC 22
Why haven't/aren't non-technical users taking
advantage of multiple displays? 23
Reasons for not using multiple displays 24
Non-users want multiple displays 24
Shipment trends 31
Desired features 33
Summary 34
Appendix
A-1
Applications that benefit from a Multi-display
system A-1
Survey
A-5
Interesting multi-display web sites .A-7
Comments from survey
A-8
Table of Tables
TABLE 1. Applications that benefit from multiple displays 17
Table of F igures
FIGURE 1. Job function of respondents 6
FIGURE 2. Activity of respondents 7
FIGURE 3. Major activities of respondents
8
FIGURE 4. Geographic distribution of respondents
9
FIGURE 5. Geographic distribution within the
U.S 9
FIGURE 6. Categorization of users 10
FIGURE 7. Respondents who use more than one
display 10
FIGURE 8. Advantages of using multiple displays .11
FIGURE 9. Place of use of multiple displays 12
FIGURE 10. Use of multiple displays at home
and work 13
FIGURE 11. Road warriors who use multiple
displays 14
FIGURE 12. Use of multiple displays with laptops
14
FIGURE 13. Three displays in a game 16
FIGURE 15. A five panel multi-display system
19
FIGURE 16. Display preference 20
FIGURE 17. Display orientation preference
of users 21
FIGURE 18. Awareness of multi-display capability
22
FIGURE 20. Non user's desire to use multiple
displays 25
FIGURE 21. Plans for adding more displays
25
FIGURE 22. Non-users that plan to get multiple
displays 26
FIGURE 23. Applications non-users would employ
27
FIGURE 24. Non-users planned applications
for multiple display 28
FIGURE 25. Expected productivity from multiple
displays 29
FIGURE 26. When non-users plan to buy 29
FIGURE 27. Where non-users plan to buy 30
FIGURE 28. Shipment forecast of multiple display
systems 32
FIGURE 29. Percentage of multiple displays
on all types of PCs 33
FIGURE 30. Distribution of comments A-8
