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To: Seeker of Truth who wrote (4128)	10/20/2000 6:01:52 AM
From: unclewest	Respond to of 10713

hi malcolm, i agree the replacement of the standard household light bulb is not going to happen this year. i believe cree estimates 5-10 years. cree just announced doubling the light output of their LEDs and pre-announced another double for next year...this has been going on for several years now. the best part of this..is that cree has been doubling output AND reducing prices AND increasing margins. as these improvements continue to be made, standard household lighting will change. 120v LED bulbs require a little more engineering. cree LEDs are better suited to lower voltage applications right now....autos, RVs, boats, flashlights, handheld displays. the much lower power consumption by LEDs over traditional bulbs coupled with the very long increase in bulb life...makes LEDs particularly appealing for battery apps and some commercial apps. a member of SI told me yesterday that light bulb replacement is way out in the future...but it isn't...LEDs are replacing light bulbs all around us...look around you...i own far more battery operated light bulbs than household light bulbs. all of us do. this is a market that cree is going after and it is gigantic. last week i picked up a small LED light at home depot shaped like a coleman lantern...i took it apart and sure enough the LED is an exact match to cree's...i compared it to the pictures on cree's website. i use an LED bulb in the track light above my desk because it does not put out any heat. we now have some LED traffic lights in palm beach county where i live...they told me this is being done as a cost saving measure...yes, the bulbs cost more...but the lifespan is many years longer, the power savings considerable, the maintenance costs are minimized and the lights are much brighter. i am sure you know about LED use in autos, buses, cell phones etc. of course there are many 120v LED household apps too. heck just my home theater and stereo equipment has more LEDs than my house has light bulbs. the writer stated... "He doubts that the average homeowner will be rushing out to buy such a product." the average homeowner will be rushing out to buy a new game machine...be sure to look at a sony playstation II...it uses cree LEDs. my wife rushed out to buy a new car recently...the rear view mirror uses a cree LED. folks are rushing out to buy LEDs every day now...but they don't know it. there is a phrase that describes that perfectly...it is... "DISCONTINUOUS INNOVATION" discontinuous innovation has a use too.....some well-run companies use it to create gorillas. unclewest