3-D laptops are coming at you. After Sony (NYSE: SNE ) debuted new Vaio models during this year's Consumer Electronics Show, a Marketwatch blurb yesterday claimed that the 3-D laptop will hit the market later this month, according to Nikkei Business Daily.
The CES demos looked impressive back in January. The Vaio F laptops pack potent speakers and powerful NVIDIA (Nasdaq: NVDA ) graphics. If you don't have a 3-D flick, sticking in a conventional Blu-ray disc and pushing the "3-D" button will still provide an immersive experience. The laptops also offer 3-D gaming, which is bound to become even more popular once Nintendo rolls out its 3DS on March 27.
Nonetheless, Sony faces an uphill challenge. For starters, at a starting price of $1,700, the Vaio F series doesn't come cheap. That may not be a bad price point for early adopters, but it's a dubious start for new technology in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
3-D is a big seller at the multiplex. RealD (NYSE: RLD ) went public last year as the country's largest 3-D outfitter for traditional cinemas, while IMAX (Nasdaq: IMAX ) screens have no problem charging an additional premium for supersized flicks in 3-D. However, the technology has sort of stalled in the home theater. 3-D televisions were supposed to be the big sellers of the 2010 holiday season, but consumers balked.
Were 3-D televisions priced too high? Were couch potatoes skeptical about the bulky battery-operated glasses? It probably didn't help when Toshiba demoed a glasses-free prototype.
The same thing may be the downfall of 3-D laptops. The Vaio F laptops require 3-D glasses for optimal viewing. Sony issues the same special specs with its 3-D Bravia televisions, but they extra eyewear will be more of a chore to lug around on portable computing devices.
In addition, it's one thing to wear ridiculous 3-D specs in the privacy of your own home theater, but another matter entirely to don them on a crowded subway or a coffee shop. Being sucked into a 3-D experience in public may also be dangerous. At the very least, users could be easy marks for pickpockets eager to swipe the goodies in their purses and briefcases.
Sony occupies the forefront of 3-D technology. It teamed up with IMAX and Discovery (Nasdaq: DISCK ) to launch 3net -- the first 24/7 3-D cable channel -- last month. If Nintendo succeeds with its glasses-free 3DS, Sony's rival PSP platform could get a 3-D upgrade of its own. However, consumers hardly seem to clamor for costly 3-D laptops. For now, this will be a niche product at best. Unfortunately, Sony's too big to settle for a sliver if it wants to be successful.
Take off those 3-D glasses, Sony executives. You don't want to see what's coming at you next.
Would you still buy a 3-D laptop that requires glasses? Please share your perspective in the comment box below.
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