here's an interesting website:

http://www.2xlightdirect.com/

it is VERY surprising that we are even seeing this with the whole LED revolution happening, but still cool to see at least some progress in incandescents before LED kills them off completely if it really does happen.

It utilize the IRC technology and it is tuned to quite short 1500hour lifetime (for the IRC's, which use to be sold with 4000hour rating) - that's how it reached really the half power input for the given lumen output.
I think this would be the way to go in fixtures designed for incandescents - no other technology could fit there and still stay more-less reliable (even designing the LED based product for 1000hour life won't make it small enough to be 100% compatible including beam pattern, only except for PAR).

This is what I've been waiting to see...some years ago I found some R-30's that had the IRC technology, but then never saw any again. If the quality is good and the lamps consistently last 1500 hours, these seem to be good replacements for standard incandescents, particularly in fixtures where the lamp is visible and you don't want a strange-looking CFL or LED bulb showing. (Personally, I don't like A-shaped lamps but I would love one of these in a BT-15 or E17 - they'd look like small metal halide lamps).

I don't think LED will kill off incandescents entirely, but standard incandescents might become a "specialty lighting" item (like carbon filament reproduction lamps are now) and maybe in 20-30 years, even cost more than their LED equivalents. And I think the trend will be toward LED lighting fixtures, where there is no replaceable bulb, thereby requiring an "electrician" to change the fixture when it stops working. 

I think with proper design the LED life could be made long enough, so the "need for an electrician to replace the fixture" wouldn't be a problem.
Don't forget the falling LED prices allow them to used way below the loading they are used today, what could easily prolong their lifetime to the level of the rest of the fixture and installation (wiring turning crispy,...)...

Crispy wiring ? In a LED fixture ? How ?

After 15 years of use at operating temperature around 50..80degC (what I would assume as an optimum for 25khour life - the fixture would be for sure made as small as possible)...

25K hour life is less than the life of 2 fluorescent tubes. Is the fixture suppoesd to last so little ?

The 15years is the main factor there...
And during that time it won't make more than 20..25khours...
I'm not talking about professional illumination, where the lamps are ON for 15hour/day,  but for household lamps, which are used barely few hours per day. There the 25khour mean about 25 years in average, while after one generation (so about 20..25years) the typical home is usually totally rebuild anyway (because kids become parents, so they become the "lords of the house", so want it according to their taste - and that is usually different from their parents)...

I wonder if frosted versions are likely to be available?


BG

yep in both soft white and clear. they only come in 120v though, currently.