[Stormbringer]

I think it is just the standard "hey look at this nifty but completely impractical thing we can do".

For me, behind my monitor is a window because I want to be in an area with lots of natural lighting (I've worked in rooms with no windows, and its no fun, after a while it just gets you down). So a see-through LCD would be a total disaster for me.

Apple used to have a Cinema Display monitor with a see through bezel, the see through LCD would look gorgeous in combo with that, if a little impractical.

Maybe the use case is what it looks like not when it is on, but when it is off? I imagine in this scenario it would be something that you wouldn't use as your day to day computer that you spend hours on.

You could build your LCD into the window, then when you're not using it it doesn't impair the view? Or maybe it is useful for HUDs in cars or other vehicles? Build it right into the windscreen?

(But wait - aren't there cars that already have this? Isn't there a merc with nightvision built into it or something like that?)

[CognitiveLens]

I think almost all passenger vehicle HUDs are displays in the dashboard that are reflected off the windshield - I suspect they also sometimes put a lens on it so that it appears to be further away than it actually is, because it might cause major headaches for people to frequently change focus from the road to the windscreen.

[Stormbringer]

I remember test driving a Yaris, which was the first car I'd driven with a digital speedo. That was incredibly distracting, because I kept trying to get exactly on the speed limit. It was actually dangerous.

[Derbasti]

I drove a Renault with one of these. You get used to it. After a few days, it is no longer distracting. Actually, I found the usual analogue gauges distracting when switching back!

Mercedes now uses a high resolution screen that displays an analogue speedo gauge. That is an interesting combination!