Qualcomm’s Struggle with Mirasol Technology: From eBook Readers to Smartwatches
At this year’s IFA, smartwatches—intelligent wristwatches that communicate with smartphones—were all the rage. After raising over 10 million US dollars on Kickstarter for the Pebble Smartwatch, all the major electronics manufacturers are also interested in such a device to complement their product range. It’s essentially seen as the next big (small) thing, following the tablet.
Samsung, Sony, and Qualcomm showcased such smartwatches at the IFA. While Samsung relies on a conventional (power-hungry) AMOLED display, Sony and Qualcomm use more energy-efficient technology. Sony uses a transflective LCD display, similar to what is seen in Notion Ink’s Adam, while Qualcomm employs Mirasol technology, which was originally intended to revolutionize the eBook reader market.
Neverending Story?
Qualcomm’s proprietary display technology is making its second appearance in the electronics market. Initially, this technology was used in the Kyobo eBook Reader in Asia. However, it did not succeed, and the device was discontinued along with the display technology. At least, that was the plan, but apparently, Qualcomm was not ready to discard the technology so easily, as it presented Mirasol again at CES 2013. The previously unnamed smartwatch was showcased for the first time at SID 2013.
Simultaneously, the company removed Mirasol technology from the eBook reader market and presented it as a low-power alternative for smartphones. However, it seems there were no takers for this, as the launch of the smartwatch, called “Toq,” now shows. Qualcomm is following the same path with the direct sale of Mirasol technology as it did with the Kyobo eBook Reader, which was based on Qualcomm’s reference design.
The main aim is, as it was then and is now, to make the technology accessible to a broad customer base and demonstrate that there is demand for it. This way, the demand from electronics manufacturers should also grow to finally give the technology the successful start it has been unsuccessfully seeking for several years. Whether it will succeed this time, however, is questionable. The Toq Smartwatch will only be available in limited quantities. Whether this can generate enough momentum to attract potential investors is doubtful. After all, it didn’t work with the Kyobo eBook Reader.
Therefore, it remains to be seen how the technology will develop further. So far, Mirasol seems to be a financial black hole for Qualcomm, as billions of investments haven’t yielded a single success. Worse yet: no success is in sight, and a major potential buyer of the technology has recently exited the market. This refers to Amazon, which with the acquisition of Liquavista now has its own color e-paper technology.
However, the story is not over yet, because at SID 2013, Qualcomm also exhibited high-resolution display prototypes with a pixel density of 577 ppi. The market launch for this is targeted in a few years. So, we might see a Mirasol eBook Reader in 2-4 years—provided Qualcomm doesn’t throw in the towel again in the meantime.
