Used to be the only choice in light bulbs was 100 watt or 60.
Now the light bulb market is like the soft drink market: an abundance of choices from diet to super charged caffeine.
The star today is the LED light bulb, which promises to last so long that, if you sell your house, take the light bulbs with you. You can have your regular LED bulb that you get for your sweet sixteen and trash when you go on social security. Or you can get an LED that responds to commands from your Smartphone, should you still have your Smartphone when you are on social security.
Now the Korean appliance company LG, has introduced a new light source with the unlikely name of “Organic Light Emitting Diodes”. OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) is a flat light emitting technology, made by placing a series of organic thin films between two conductors. When electrical current is applied, a bright light is emitted. OLEDs can be used to make displays and lighting. Because OLEDs emit light they do not require a backlight and so are thinner and more efficient than LCD displays (which do require a white backlight). These light bulbs can be flattened and formed into a sheet. That means even wallpaper, for example, can be a source of light.
But it isn’t just the shape and style of lighting; it is the whole concept that is changing. According to CNET, a 16-year-old might well grow up today to buy houses that no longer have light switches.