Netflix and the ShowWX might as well be a package deal in my home. I haven't watched a DVD any other way this last month. This wouldn't happen with a lower quality image. The set up is a bit kludgy, but that's a simple issue of playing with stands and wire runs.

 

It hasn't replaced my television, but that's largely because, as I've said before, this is a very bright house. This house is bright enough that I can't even watch my regular tv on sunny afternoons. In a more typical house I might just use the projector if the tv room was in the basement or a north facing room (northern hemisphere). I also don't want to keep switching cables until I find an arrangement that works well for the first application.

 

The reaction of friends has almost always been much more than positive. So far I've shown movies at the beach by standing a picnic table on its side, and have demonstrated it on retail counters, in print shops, in dance halls, and in temporary offices.

 

As good as the reaction has been, I only know one other person who has bought one. I suspect that will change when the units hit the store shelves, the economy improves, and the embedded versions (especially the mobile media player) arrive. Price point has been an issue, but conservative spending considering the recent economy has been a stronger deterrent.

 

With a bit more money, or a lower price point, or a more portable solution, I'll be buying more. Note I say more, not just another one. This is useful. I'll probably pick up an iPod to drive my ShowWX. This was a surprise to me. The iPod, one of the most successful consumer electronics devices in history is seen by me as an adjunct, a bit of support hardware to my ShowWX. An embedded cell phone version with internet connectivity would supersede that combination. Off hand, especially for a second generation product, I'd probably have one for my pocket, one for movies/television, one as an accessory computer display, and maybe even one for backup (though my first generation one may suffice for that).

 

 

Microvision will not own the market. There are many niches and the market can be enormous. Other manufacturers and technologies will undoubtedly command certain segments or technical regions, just as Microvision will. Each segment is probably big enough to make a company profitable.

 

What my ShowWX does not do well usually comes back to image brightness, resolution, and quality. It is good enough for DVDs but not as good for computer monitors or displaying fine art photographs. Computer monitors have better resolution than tvs and DVDs. Digital cameras have even greater resolution and necessarily higher image quality. While the ShowWX does not meet those needs, none of the competitors meet them either. So, the applications that don't work for my ShowWX aren't solved by anyone else. Microvision isn't losing market share there because no one can sell to that market, yet. Who will? Most likely Microvision. Their technology is more extendable and they already have contracts for HD and a history of working with camera manufacturers.

 

It has been an interesting month. My reaction has gone from mixed but curious to familiar and incorporated. I was taken aback by some of what I learned as I unboxed the unit. Some of those concerns remain. A few have been added. Most have been resolved. As I said above, the summary is simple. I want more, especially as they improve. Is that succinct enough?

 

Now, as to why the stock price hasn't budged . . . Well, one thing at a time.