Monitor maker sees computing world change over two decades By Anna Marie Kukec
Daily Herald e-buzz
August 15, 2005
About 20 years ago, Microsoft Corp. introduced Windows 1.0 and Intel Corp.’s processor was 16 MHz.
Also, NEC Display Solutions of America Inc., formerly NEC-Mitsubishi, introduced its MultiSync brand monitor with a 14-inch screen and a $899 price tag.
It was their first monitor that was “future-ready,” meaning users didn’t have to update or modify it when they upgraded their computers.
“We had been a leader in TVs for many years at that time and took that technology to the computer environment,” said T.J. Trojan, president of NEC Display Solutions, based in Itasca (
www.sharpnecdisplays.us). It is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based NEC Corp.
Since then, NEC has sold nearly 30 million MultiSyncs worldwide and created several related displays. The company also makes larger CRT monitors as well as thin LCD displays for business and consumer use.
NEC recently marked the 20th anniversary of the MultiSync and now plans more flat panels based on the original.
Some future displays likely will have larger screens, more vibrant color, and more environmentally friendly internal components with fewer harmful metals, like cadmium.
A team in Itasca also has been working on remote access, so displays can be fixed from another location without the technician being on-site, or to watch how users work with them.
Flat panels will become even thinner and some could “unroll” like a piece of plastic, said Richard Atanus, NEC vice president of product development.
“Those would wrap around an entire desk for multi-tasking jobs,” he said, referring to professionals in the medical or financial fields that require multiple screens or larger views.
