"The binocular of the future will be digital"... that I do not accept. I don't think people want to be walking around looking at birds (or anything else) on a miniature LED screen, as they can do back at home. Direct viewing really matters for appreciation of nature. Whoever also wants the electronic experience will easily carry their phone or digital camera too, for image capture and even identification if desired.
I think the folks now who are birders, will rarely go in the direction of digital. But the young crowd, who I hope might be future birders and environmentalists and watchers of our nature, will demand more digital. They are digital natives and binocular companies will have to evolve. But as I state that, there will always be a calling for the retro 'you focus your own' binocular. Look at cameras now. All digital but, many young people have now returned to film/retro. Chances are we will have both although digital will be more the norm.