Some 57.6 M. Tablet PCs to be Shipped in 2011: DisplaySearch

Taipei, Jan. 24, 2011 (CENS)--Global tablet-PC shipments are expected to more than triple in 2011, rising to 57.6 million units, up from 17.1 million in 2010, according to IHS iSuppli research.

Although Apple Inc. would retain market dominance with 70.4% share of tablet shipments next year, IHS iSuppli said, the company would face increasing competition from new rivals producing consumption tablets, including Samsung, Hewlett-Packard (HP), RIM, Dell and dozens of other companies.

Joe Abelson, vice president of displays at HIS, said that IHS believes that as these iPad competitors turn their focus to tablet PCs, the demand for netbook and notebook displays will soften.

And because the tablet market is so new and volumes are unpredictable, he said, display suppliers would be forced to gamble production capacity on the unrealistically high projections of their tablet customers. With different panel sizes and specs in play, the industry should expect to see significant inventory shortages and excesses to occur at the SKU (stock keeping unit) level throughout 2011, potentially accompanied by heavy discounting or scrapping of unused displays, he explained.

While the tablet face-off will dominate much attention in 2011, IHS iSuppli's forecasts indicated this year also will bring a breakthrough in the manufacturing of active-matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) displays. Massive investments in new materials, processes and production capacity will enable Samsung—currently the only major supplier of AMOLEDs—as well as LG and perhaps one or two other display companies to drive AMOLED penetration deeper into mobile devices. This may also be the year when premium AMOLED TV move beyond trade shows and onto retail shelves, DisplaySearch said.

Another notable trend in 2011 would be the emergence of 3D capability as a standard feature for higher-end TVs. DisplaySearch said that in 2011 3D capability would be added to the checklist for many high-end models, as TV brands have made it their mission to proliferate this technology to more consumers, even at the cost of quality of presentation.