Touchscreens seem to have become a “must have” for consumers in the technology world of modern gadgets and devices, according to recent research findings. Developed in the 1970s by the U.S. military, touchscreens have taken over the market for electronic appliances due to their wide application in navigation devices, mobile phones, personal digital assistant (PDAs), ATMs, and game consoles.

 

The technology used in touchscreens has gained international attention and acceptance mostly because of its low technological entry barriers and low operating costs.

 

Increasingly, products are adopting the central touchscreen interface, following on the heels of Apple’s January, 2007 iPhone (News - Alert) launch. As an Internet-enabled multimedia mobile phone designed and marketing by Apple, the iPhone has a multitouch screen with a virtual keyboard and buttons. Functioning as a camera and portable media player (iPod), the iPhone is viewed by many as the only device needed stay connected on the go.

 

Defined as, “a display which can detect the location of touches within the display area,” touchscreens allow the display to be used as an input device, removing the need for a keyboard and/or a mouse as the primary input device for interacting with the display's content. These types of displays can be connected to computers or, as terminals, to networks. Touchscreens have also assisted in recent changes to the design of PDAs, as well as satellite navigation devices and mobile phones.

 

The low cost of touchscreen technology is completely absorbed into the products that incorporate it and in the end, eliminated. As typically occurs with any technology, touchscreen hardware and software has matured and been perfected over more than three decades to the point where its reliability is near perfect. Touchscreen displays are found today in airplanes, automobiles, gaming consoles, machine control systems, appliances and handheld display devices of every kind.

 

Touchscreens can be classified in four categories: resistive, capacitive, infrared ray (IR), and surface acoustic wave (SAW). Currently, the most commonly used touchscreens in the marketplace are resistive panels, which are made up of electrically conductive and resistive layers separated by thin space.

Other trends likely to add to the market growth include the increasing usage of tactile feedback technology in touch-screen devices, innovations in the existing technology and a rising demand for larger touchscreens.

 

The majority of top suppliers and touch panel makers is located in Japan (Nissha, Gunze, and Panasonic (News - Alert)) and Taiwan (Y-Fast, Swenc, and Jtouch), with a special focus on resistive products.

"Global Touch Panel Industry: iPhone Phenomenon Fuelling Demand”, a report recently compiled by Research and Markets, analyzed the global touch panel industry, its size, growth rate, trends, growth drivers, challenges, etc. The report profiled the big four players in the touch panel industry: ELAN Microelectronics, ELO TouchSystems, Wintek Corporation, and 3M (News - Alert) Touch Systems, with a discussion of their key business strategies.

The report’s main topics are:

 

The companies mentioned in the report are: