State of Technology: For ViewSonic, a Flat World Is Good

For all peripherals, solution providers across the board rated digital flat-panel displays as the most innovative technology. And leading the innovation pack is ViewSonic, Sony and Samsung.

As a group, solution providers say large LCDs (19 inches or bigger), digital signage (extra-large LCDs) and plasma monitors are the most innovative display technologies. Each of the top three vendors is a leader in each of these product sets.

In the quarterly VARBusiness State of Technology survey, ViewSonic took top overall honors for innovation--but only among small VARs (those with less than $1 million in annual revenue). Midsize and large solution providers ranked the vendor third. Samsung ranked third overall but was first among midsize and large channel partners.

The degree of separation among the leaders, though, was not significant. Both Korean powerhouse LG Electronics and Hewlett-Packard posted respectable ratings for innovation.

Solution providers say increased end-user satisfaction and product performance, lower cost, more efficiency, and better management and functionality are the most important display market drivers. Couple those drivers with what resellers say are the most important innovations--new features, ease of deployment and lower total cost of ownership--and it's easy to see why these vendors top the list.

Other well-known display vendors, including NEC, Philips, BenQ and Sharp, had less impressive innovation ratings, but that could be a reflection of less market share and limited product lines rather than a lack of innovation.