What if the notion of display goes away?

Samsung notebook with transparent OLED display

Samsung is showing off a notebook prototype with a 14 inch transparent OLED display. When the screen is off, it’s up to 40% transparent. And when it’s on, you can clearly see the display, but you can also see right through it

via www.liliputing.com

As usual, this is a bit hindered by putting something very new, transparent displays in this case, into a very old format such as the screen on a notebook, but think differently about this and you'll quickly start to see LOTS of applications.  As this transparent display technology becomes more common, imagine if:

• All displays were to have the option of being transparent; you want it you got it.  Whatever % of transparency you want.  
• this was used for the lenses into your eye glasses or sun glasses or contacts?
• this was used to create windows, windshields, doors, walls, floors
• this were implanted in a damaged eye

You get the idea.  Transparency adds augmented reality capabilities to any display so that anything we want can be layered on top of the "real stuff" we are seeing through the display.

Objects in this screen are closer than they appear!

Take it out far enough, my kind of timeframes, and I wonder and ponder things like:

• What if every surface is a "display surface"?  Either through the materials it is made of or what it is painted/covered with.
• What if we seldom see anything other than through a lens? (embedded or worn)
• What if the notion of a "display" goes away?  What if we just look and see?
• What if we think about surfaces and loose the distinction of 3D vs 2D?

Again, if we are not equally fascinated and frightened I don't think we are paying attention!  Ask more questions!  Ponder What If?