"From smart phones to tablets to GPS systems, touchscreen devices are everywhere. Consumers now expect an intuitive touch experience from every new device that hits the market. Since the introduction of Apple’s iPhone in 2007, the touchscreen sensor and IC market has exploded. In fact, according to NPD DisplaySearch, this market crossed $10 billion in 2011 and is expected to double again by 2014.

Touchscreens are set to become even more pervasive with the introduction of Windows 8, which integrates touch functionality into the world’s most widely used operating system. As such, the computer industry is gearing up to integrate touchscreens into thin touch-enabled laptops dubbed “ultrabooks” by Intel, in addition to all-in-one computers. Microsoft and Intel have also gone well beyond just developing their core products and are using hundreds of millions of dollars in marketing funds to ensure there is ample capacity for touchscreens for the new devices that use their products."