Philips Genie 11W CFL energy saver lamp in "stick" form factor, an early example of widely successful cheap mass market CFLs
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Callum Fraser / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
2D93WKNFile size:
68.7 MB (448.3 KB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
6000 x 4000 px | 50.8 x 33.9 cm | 20 x 13.3 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
1 November 2020More information:
The Philips Genie CFL lamp is a classic example of market forces. Earlier CFL designs, while rugged and high quality, had two major barriers to mass consumer level adoptions - weight/bulkiness and price. Somewhat over-engineered, earlier CFLs were large and cumbersome, delivering surprisingly long lifetimes but costing significant amounts. While earlier CFLs like the Philips SL* and SL-E professional models saw use in the commercial sector, where their improved lifetimes were seen as a sound investment, it was not a product most residential consumers were interested in. The Genie was the answer and in the early 2000s was released by Philips under Chinese production. Quality compared to previous "over-engineered" CFLs was lower and the lamp was much more compact, the rated lifetime being 6000 hours which was considerably less than previous advances. However the more compact nature of the lamp and lower cost meant it was viewed favourably and contributed to considerable uptake and the beginning of a shift away from mass use of incandescent lamps.