CRT monitors finally down, not out
by Liam Lahey
Though there's some uncertainty surrounding the LCD (liquid crystal display) market, overall the outlook is a sunny one.
The LCD industry suffered a decline in revenue in the third quarter of 2004, according to iSuppli/Standford Resources, but such is now the norm noted Sweta Dash, director of LCD and projection research at iSuppli. Dash wrote that after each slowdown, a new market for LCDs developed that spurred industry expansion.
Recent reports have documented the growth of LCD monitors at the expense of the CRT (cathode ray tube) market, and for the first time since flat-panels were introduced into the North American marketplace, LCD sales will surpass CRT sales in 2005.
Andres Maldonado, director, product marketing for NEC-Mitsubishi USA, said though the CRT market is indeed in steep decline, there is still opportunity to be had for low-cost CRTs.
"Initially, users found LCDs to be too expensive. At the most, they were willing to pay twice the amount they are paying now," he said. "What we talk to our customers about, from small businesses to large enterprises, is the total cost of ownership (TCO), not just the acquisition price, but the maintenance costs, energy and recycling costs. With energy prices escalating, the TCO advantages are clear on the LCD side. And that's a trend we see continuing."
David Nichols, director, display marketing for Samsung Electronics USA, acknowledged LCDs are outstripping CRT sales. On a global basis, Samsung Electronics expects to see 68 per cent of unit demand in 2005 to be for LCDs.
"The (LCD) market has been softer (in 2004) than most analysts had predicted, nevertheless it's been a very successful year for Samsung; we've experienced growth beyond our original expectations," he said. "But there will always be room for entry-level CRTs.
"The 15-inch LCD market doesn't have much of a position going forward, the 17-inch LCD price point has gone down and it's the sweet spot with consumers right now. But . . . there's still a lower-end price point that needs to be addressed and CRTs are perfect for that. Also, there continues to be some performance benefits with CRTs in certain applications that some customers want." more...
