Bangkok--30 Sep--IDC According to IDC’s Asia/Pacific Quarterly PC Monitor Tracker report, the PC monitor market in Asia/Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region totaled 28.1 million units in 1H 2008, representing an increase of 7.2% over 1H 2007, but a 1.1% decline over 2H 2007. This was in line with IDC’s initial forecast, registering a 0.9% variance. All countries posted a sequential decline or a flat growth over 2H 2007, except Indonesia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Total CRT sales experienced a 31.2% decline, while total LCD sales increased by a slight 5.1% over 2H 2007. “Inflation is impacting many countries in the APEJ region in 2Q 2008, which reduces consumer purchasing power, as well as commercial spending in the short term,” said Yoong Siat-Siah, Senior Analyst of IDC’s Asia/Pacific Personal Systems Research. “Political issues in several countries also weakened regional demand. IDC believes the total PC monitor market will remain muted in 2H 2008, with a mild 4.4% growth over 1H 2008, and a 3.2% growth year-on-year.”Vendor Rankings? The top 6 PC monitor vendor rankings changed slightly over 2H 2007, with AOC coming in strongly in third, and Dell dropping off from the chart. These top 6 vendors captured just over 60% of overall PC monitor sales in the APEJ region in 1H 2008, which is a marginal increase from 59.9% in 2H 2007. These were Samsung, Lenovo, AOC, Hewlett-Packard, LG Electronics, and Acer respectively.? Of the top 6 vendors, AOC and Acer posted the strongest growth over 2H 2007. AOC continued to strengthen its presence with competitive product pricing, as well as good channel coverage. AOC’s ability to supply CRTs, while many vendors are reducing availability in some countries, also helped its performance. Meanwhile, Acer turned in a strong performance in the ASEAN region.Product Migration? As of 1H 2008, 19”W has become the mainstream LCD size in the APEJ region. The acceptance of wide-screen LCDs in the commercial market has increased significantly in the last 6 months. As a result, the wide-screen LCD market has shown a 32.1% growth over 2H 2007, partially due to the 15”W, 16”W and 17”W sizes.? PC and standalone monitor vendors alike are starting to introduce smaller LCDs from this year as a true CRT alternative, especially in emerging countries. In markets where price is the main factor in buying decisions, such as countries in ASEAN, the PRC and India, LCD monitors have not been able to penetrate the stronghold of CRTs till now. Today, 15”W and 16”W LCDs are available at comparable price points to CRTs, which are being phased out and facing price rigidity. “Prices are expected to continue on their downward spiral in 3Q 2008, which might help buoy the otherwise soft market,” said Anjali Joseph, Associate Analyst of IDC’s Asia/Pacific Personal Systems Research. “Manufacturers’ decisions to restrain production in the face of falling demand will however help stabilize the prices towards the end of the year.”Country Outlook Despite revising its forecast downwards, IDC still anticipates a positive year-on-year growth for the APEJ monitor market in 2008, largely contributed by the PRC, India, Indonesia, New Zealand (PC replacement cycles), Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. According to IDC’s latest 5-year forecast, 17”W is expected to be the mainstream size for India, Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam till 2012, while 19”W will be the mainstream size for Hong Kong, Malaysia, the PRC, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. For Australia, Korea, and New Zealand, strong uptake of 22”W will allow this size to become the most popular by 2010. “The uncertain economic climate creates havoc in the panel producer’s expansion plans, which results in monitor assemblers bearing the brunt of panel price fluctuations on one end, and continued pricing pressures on the other,” said Reuben Tan, Senior Manager of IDC’s Asia/Pacific Personal Systems. “The light at the end of the tunnel for this matured industry could be varied feature sets and vendor differentiation; HDMI, monitor-TVs, and 16:9 products, as well as innovative channel and joint promotions through vendor partnerships, monitor-notebook vendor and monitor-telco collaborations.” For press inquiries, please contact: Sasithorn Sae-iao Marketing Executive +66-2651-5585 [email protected]