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Tablet LCD deliveries suggest big iPad delivery spike
Apple is facing the mother of all backlogs with the iPad 2, yet still producing enough tablets to be a major player in the tablet display market. Analysis released by Displaybank suggests Apple was responsible for the lion's share of 9.7-inch displays shipped in May. Apple's two LCD suppliers, LG and Samsung, were responsible for 4.5 million of the 5.38 million tablet displays that flew off the production line in May. Most of these 9.7-inch displays were destined for the iPad as relatively few competing tablets use the 9.7-inch size. The only other high-profile tablet using a 9.7-inch screen is the upcoming HP Touchpad, but its production is still at a minimal level. These numbers are only an estimate based on market analysis, but they do suggest iPad sales for the current quarter could be better than projected. Apple is expected to report its Q3 2011 earnings sometime in July.
Report claims 14.6 million netbooks shipped in 2008, further growth expected
While any number of total netbooks shipped or sold is bound to be a little suspect, given that many folks can't even agree on what a netbook is, this latest report from research firm DisplayBank at least gives us a decent impression, and confirms what many likely thought. According to the report, the total netbook shipments for 2008 reached an impressive 14.6 million, with Acer and ASUS leading the way with a 37.3% and 33.2% market share, respectively, and HP a distant third with 7.5%. Those numbers, however, represent just 11% of total laptop sales, although DisplayBank sees that share increasing to 18.9% by 2012. As you might have guessed, to arrive at the number, the folks from DisplayBank also offered up their own definition of a netbook, which they describe as "as having similar functions as NotePC, supports networking and have retail price lower than US$650. Especially, products are narrowed with screen size of 7 – 10.2 inch and with Linux or Microsoft Windows operating system equipped." Yeah, that'll settle things.[Via China Times]
Plasma manufacturers getting less for more
LCDs just keep on rolling in the display market, and the tide has definitely shifted away from plasma. DisplayBank rounded up the numbers for 2007, and found that even though plasma volume was up almost 20-percent, revenues were down 15-percent; that last ugly number comes courtesy an almost 30-percent decrease in average selling price. These kind of numbers are no surprise, but expect the shakeout to continue and even accelerate as manufacturers either exit the plasma business entirely or move plasmas to the high-end of the market. It's no secret that we prefer the latter, as plasma still trumps LCDs in moving image (which pretty accurately describes the content we watch) quality and shows great promise going forward.
Displaybank says LCD to reach 66% of TV sales by 2015
In case you hadn't heard, CRT sets are on their way out, and LCD is the display technology that will replace them in popularity. According to to market research firm Displaybank, the LCD portion of TV shipments will grow from 38% this year to 66% by 2015. By our math, that's close to 2-out-of-3. Chalk that growth up to a blanketing of the market -- LCD already has the less than 50-inch market pretty well sewn up, and is already making inroads to larger sizes. We love us our plasma (even at less than 50-inch sizes), but on the showroom floor LCD's are compelling for many consumers. No matter how you slice it, consumers are going to benefit -- put the Displaybank numbers against DisplaySearch numbers on market value for LCD's, and you can see that LCD prices are going to come down even further.
CCFL backlighting is still in
Cuz all the cool kids are doing it for at least the next year or so, much unlike the mullet. Despite all the hubbub about LEDs, CCFLs are likely to continue backlighting your LCD panel, even as manufacturers ramp up production to meet demand. When will light emitting diodes and flat fluorescent lamps become a part of the flat screen TV landscape? Who knows but Kumho Electric isn't looking to find out. I still wanted my HDTV t-shirt though.
Flat panel price wars: Are Pioneer & Hitachi big enough to sit at this table?
Size does matter, at least if you're an LCD manufacturer. While 2005 may have ended without the oversupply and price crash many had predicted, as LG & Samsung continue to add production capacity prices will (someday) drop, and smaller manufacturers may be squeezed out. The outlook for plasmas is similar, with Matsushita (Panasonic) currently holding one-third of the market, and also with plans to expand production rapidly over the next few years. What can smaller manufacturers do? A few things, like partner up. For a company like Pioneer, maybe it's time to start focusing on features, not price and volume. They could start by offering 1080p TVs that accept 1080p inputs (oh wait, they already do that), provide in-home calibration, longer warranties, Ethernet ports for streaming, something. Maybe by the end of this year they'll be willing to throw in an HD-DVD or Blu-ray player just to differentiate themselves.
The race to dominate 1080p
While the question of whether or not next year will be the year for high definition to take over, it will definitely be remembered as the year 1080p hit the scene. With several different manufacturers lining up plasma and LCD displays, Displaybank took a quick look at the competitors.From 40" to 102", "full" HD will be a big marketing buzzword in 2006. I predict we will see a $15k 1080p HDTV PS3 bundle from Gamestop at some point. It will be madness.
