Panasonic's 3D Blitz Will Have Big Business Impact

Pushing the 3D envelope, Panasonic said it plans to release the new Lumix G Micro System twin lens, which is part of a lineup of interchangeable lenses, before the end of the year.

Darin Pepple, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, at Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company, said in a press statement that 2010 will be "remembered as the 'First Year of the 3D Era.'" The new Panasonic 3D offerings, in fact, follow a wave of 3D products from Panasonic including 3D Capable VIERA televisions and Blu-Ray 3D disc players.

Panasonic promised that the 3D-capable interchangeable lens "will be easy to handle and allow instant 3D shooting, without distortion or time lag between left and right images – even when shooting moving objects. "

Panasonic also unveiled what it is calling the world's first consumer 3D camcorder, the Panasonic HDC-SDT750, which includes a 3D conversion lens that enables the camcorder to shoot 3D video content. Panasonic said the new 3D camcorder will be available in October 2010 with a suggested retail price of $1,399.95.

Another sign of the 3D times: DisplaySearch, a Santa Clara, Calif. market research firm, Wednesday forecast 3.4 million 3D TVs to be shipped in 2010, with the market expected to reach 42.9 million in 2014.

Even though Panasonic is promoting the new 3D products as consumer offerings, the products could have a big impact on solution providers delivering the next wave of solutions for businesses of all sizes.

For example, solution providers delivering real estate applications could leverage the 3D Lumix interchangeable lens and video recorder capabilities to get potential home buyers into the door.

In addition, old school PowerPoint presentations powered up with 3D images and video that pops out of the screen can grab the attention of audiences used to dozing off during dull presentations. And let's not forget the application of 3D technology to the growing video conferencing market.

Consumer technology has been driving the business technology market for the last decade. The Panasonic 3D blitz is just one more example of that paradigm shift. Geoffrey Moore, the best-selling author and business visionary, has for some time now urged businesses to embrace the "consumerization" of information technology.

Those solution providers and business that embrace the new 3D technology to drive new solutions will be positioned as the next generation technology powers. Those that don't may drift off into the past.