This just in from from LightNOW.
GE has created a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) shaped exactly like an incandescent light bulb. The first one is 15 watts (60 watt equivalent).
They did it by covering the spiral with a glass bulb. They say it was a real "ship in a bottle" trick.
Here's a picture:
They are already available at Target, and expected at Ace Hardware this month. Broader availability is expected by Earth Day (April 22, 2009).
Between April and June 2009, GE plans to introduce 9W and 20W versions as 40W and 75W equivalents, respectively. The 20W CFL will have a slightly taller profile that mirrors a standard incandescent 3-way bulb. A 100W equivalent, meanwhile, could be introduced as early as 2010.
Peggy