) ▁is ▁a ▁screen ▁technology ▁ ▁for ▁liquid - c ry stal ▁displays ▁( L CD s ). ▁It ▁was ▁designed ▁to ▁solve ▁the ▁main ▁limitations ▁of ▁the ▁tw isted ▁nem atic ▁field ▁effect ▁( T N ) ▁matrix ▁L CD s ▁which ▁were ▁pre val ent ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 8 0 s . ▁These ▁limitations ▁included ▁strong ▁view ing ▁angle ▁dependence ▁and ▁low - quality ▁color ▁reprodu ction . ▁In - plane ▁switching ▁involves ▁arr anging ▁and ▁switching ▁the ▁orientation ▁of ▁the ▁mole cules ▁of ▁the ▁liquid ▁cry stal ▁( LC ) ▁layer ▁between ▁the ▁glass ▁substr ates . ▁This ▁is ▁done , ▁essentially , ▁parallel ▁to ▁these ▁glass ▁pl ates . ▁ ▁History ▁▁ ▁The ▁T N ▁method ▁was ▁the ▁only ▁vi able ▁technology ▁for ▁active ▁matrix ▁T FT ▁L CD s ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 8 0 s ▁and ▁early ▁ 1 9 9 0 s . ▁Early ▁pan els ▁showed ▁gray scale ▁in version ▁from ▁up ▁to ▁down , ▁and ▁had ▁a ▁high ▁response ▁time ▁( for ▁this ▁kind ▁of ▁transition , ▁ 1   ms ▁is ▁vis ually ▁better ▁than ▁ 5   ms ). ▁In ▁the ▁mid - 1 9 9 0 s ▁new ▁techn ologies ▁were ▁developed — typ ically ▁IP S ▁and ▁Vert ical ▁Al ignment ▁( VA ) — that ▁could ▁resolve ▁these ▁weak ness es ▁and ▁were ▁applied ▁to ▁large ▁computer ▁monitor ▁pan els . ▁ ▁One ▁approach ▁pat ented ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 4 ▁was ▁to