Global Panel Revenues to Surge 13% This Year: NPD DisplaySearch

Taipei, Sept. 06, 2012 (CENS)--Despite the sluggish global markets, suppliers of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT LCD) panels still predict shipment in 2012 to reach 757 million units, up 8% year on year (YoY), with revenues of US$ 8.53 million (NT$ 2.55 trillion), up 13% YoY, which is mainly attributable to increasing demands for portable personal computers and LCD TVs, according to DisplaySearch, an America-based major display market researcher.

Q.Y. Hsieh, the vice president of NPD DisplaySearch, indicated that the panel makers are adapting rapidly to the new demand changes, also trying to develop new technologies, functions and sizes of TFT LCD panels.

For instance, panel makers in China raised output rapidly, with panel makers in South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan planning to improve functions of displays and cost management via new skill and production lines.

Hsieh added, in addition to Netbook, shipments of typical Notebook (NB), tablet PC, and ultrabook saw stable growth, with NB panel shipments estimated to rise 13% year on year (YoY), due mainly to strong promotions of Intel’s Ultrabook.

Tablet PC panel makers meanwhile target shipments in 2012 of 72.8 million of 9.7-inch LCD panels for iPad 2, new iPad, and non-brand tablets. As to the 10.1-inch tablet PC, it’s estimated that shipments will exceed 17 million units this year, with shipments of 10.6-inch LCD panels, especially for Surface tablet PC from Microsoft, to surge in the second half of 2012. Therefore, total shipments of tablet PC will likely surge 61% YoY.

LCD TV panel makers experienced declining shipments last year, so have started to cope with the downtrend, also predicting LCD panels for TVs will rise about 6% this year, to be driven by strong demand in China.