3G cellular phone systems with GPS were in use extensively in Asia by 2000, but most North Americans didn’t see this proven technology until the iPhone came out in 2008. HDTV made its bow in 1993, but most didn’t see it until a decade later.
This technology lag in circulating solutions globally is usually based on managing widespread applicability for consumers. Many of the leading technology solutions have tremendous potential on a smaller scale, in industrial computing and imaging applications.