TrendForce: 2014 Wide-Viewing-Angle LCD Monitor Sees 25-30% Penetration Rate

According to the survey by WitsView, the display research division of the global intelligence provider TrendForce,the 2013 LCD monitor shipment including AIO is around 158 million units, dipping 5% YoY. The declining trend will continue in 2014 with a shipment of 150 million units, dropping 5.1% YoY. Among those, the LCD monitor shipment is around 134 million units, declining 6.3% YoY, and the AIO shipment is 16 million units, surging 6.7% YoY. What needs to be observed is panel makers turn aggressive on the wide-viewing-angle panel production, and the wide-viewing-angle shows a penetration rate as high as 30% of the LCD monitors in 2014.

WitsView assistant research manager Anita Wang indicates that the 2014 LCD monitor shipment drops 6.3% mainly because brands hold conservative BP, and the constrained LCD monitor panel supply will influence the annual shipment as panel makers adjust capacities.

The conventional monitor segment is declining constantly due to the erosion of smart mobile devices, and to maintain profits, most of makers from upstream to downstream  develop  niche products. Some brands work with Microsoft’s new Windows 8 platform to launch touch LCD monitors but gain unideal sales for the three following reasons: 1. Windows 8 requires a minimum of five-point touch to meet its touch screen standard, brands have to use the projective capacitive touch module, and with a larger size than a tablet, it leads to more than twice the production cost of a regular monitor as well as an excessive end selling price.   

2. The use distance is wider for a LCD monitor than a tablet and a NB, the cost should be increased even the problem can be solved with a holder able to be adjusted horizontal; 3. Windows 8 stirs a weaker-than-expected replacement effect, and the touch LCD monitor loses the ground in the first sales.

Contrarily, the smart LCD monitor equipped with Android OS is more marketable despite its cost is twice to that of a regular LCD monitor. As it has basic computer functions in addition to the touch, it can be used to connect internet without a central unit. It has multiple times of sales to the touch LCD monitors but needs more time to promote.

By comparison, the wide-viewing-angle LCD monitor gains more traction among consumers with a 10% penetration rate in 2013.With panel makers growing active on the production of wide-viewing-angle in 2014, the wide-viewing-angle penetration rate will reach 25-30% of the LCD monitor shipment. On top of wide-viewing-angle products, panel makers plan to develop high-resolution LCD monitor panels. As the high-resolution fashion spreads to the LCD monitor segment and AIO market, the high-end lineups will be enriched and generate new sales.
 

Global LCD Monitor Shipment (Million Units)