Interactive whiteboard

An interactive whiteboard (IWB) is an interactive display that can be connected to a computer. A projector is used to display the desktop of the connected computer onto the whiteboard screen. The whiteboard screen can be controlled with the help of a pen, stylus, or the human finger.

IWBs are used by educational institutes to increase student interaction and collaboration. They help increase students’ interest levels using multimedia content. Data presented or written on IWBs can be easily edited or stored. Also, using the gesture recognition technology available in selected whiteboards, user experience is enhanced. IWBs also offer integration and interaction capabilities with portable devices such as smartphones and tablets.

IWBs can also be used for corporate training sessions and board meetings. Important data such as financial results and market insights can be easily discussed with the help of multimedia content displayed on IWBs.

Rising investment in the education sector has accelerated the adoption of technology in classrooms, driving the IWB market. However, it is experiencing increasing competition from substitute technologies such as interactive flat panels. As flat panels work without projectors and have a longer life than whiteboards, their adoption is expected to rise.

Major IWB manufacturers include Smart Technologies Inc., Promethean Limited, Seiko Epson Corporation, Hitachi, Ltd., Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Julong Educational Technology Co. Ltd, Mimio, Inc., and LG Electronics, Inc.

IWBs can be categorised by; end-use adoption, size, and geography:

• On the basis of type, the market is segmented into resistive membrane, electromagnetic, infrared, ultrasonic, and laser scanner.
• Based on end-use adoption, the market is segmented into education, corporate, and government. In 2015, the education segment was the largest end-user of IWBs.
• On the basis of size, the IWB market can be further segmented into small, medium-sized, and large IWBs. Of these, medium-sized was the largest segment of the market in 2015.
• Asia Pacific led the IWB market in 2015 and is expected to remain dominant due to heavy investment in the education sector and the large student population in this region.