Shipments of larger flat panels made in Taiwan are expected to fall 15 percent in the first quarter of this year from the previous quarter, reflecting the effect of a seasonal slowdown, a report said on Thursday.
Larger flat screens refer to panels 10 inches (25.4cm) or larger that are used in TV, notebook and desktop monitor production.
The Market Intelligence and Consulting Institute (MIC, 資策會) of the Institute for Information Industry said in the report that in the fourth quarter of last year, shipments of larger screens totaled 62.27 million units, down 3.1 percent from the third quarter.
However, the fourth-quarter figure was up 11.4 percent from a year earlier.
The output of larger flat screens for the last three months of last year totaled US$5.79 billion, up 18.5 percent from a year earlier, the institute said.
MIC analyst Jane Yeh (葉貞秀) said in the report that shipments of flat panels for this year are expected to be little changed from a year earlier as there are few signs that demand for notebook computers and TVs will grow significantly.
Yeh said that demand for desktop computers is expected to remain slow, which could also impact shipments of PC displays this year.
The production value of Taiwan’s flat panels for this year is expected to remain almost the same as last year, she said, adding that product prices could stabilize this year, with few manufacturers likely to disrupt market supply by increasing production.
With demand for large-screen TVs on the rise, buyers are likely to opt for 37.1-inch screens this year instead of 35.4-inch models, the report said.
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