China drives desktop LCD shipments to record high

A recent report from market research firm DisplaySearch found that China has propelled the worldwide shipments of desktop monitors to a record high.

According to its Quarterly Desktop Monitor Shipment and Forecast Report, more than 45.4 million units of LCD monitors, CRT monitors and all-in-one LCD PCs shipped in Q2 this year. Although the global market for CRT monitors declined 11.2 percent between Q1 and Q2, LCD monitor shipments grew 9.4 percent during that period.

Meanwhile, the small LCD PC all-in-one desktop PC segment rose 16.8 percent for the quarter and 34 percent y-on-y.

"The growth no longer appears to be through cannibalization of one monitor technology for another, such as the sale of an LCD monitor instead of a CRT monitor, but through absolute growth of the market as well," Chris Connery, VP of PC and large format commercial displays for DisplaySearch, said in a statement. "A deeper analysis of the desktop display industry shows that the two single biggest driving factors are regional growth—especially in markets like China—and the beginning of a new up-grade cycle from standard-aspect ratio LCD monitors to wide monitors."

The report showed that China represents a growing percentage of the Q2 total with 19.6 percent of the LCD monitors shipped in the quarter, up 38 percent from the previous quarter and 83 percent from the previous year.

Latin America also experienced y-on-y growth, but most came from purchases of now lower priced LCD monitors instead of CRT monitors, rather than through organic growth as in China, according to DisplaySearch.

Additionally, 19-inch-wide monitors sold best in China in Q2, representing 36 percent of the area's total share, the report said. More of those LCD monitors shipped into China in Q2 than any other region.

- K.C. Jones
InformationWeek