- Although the first quarter is traditionally the slow season for small and medium display panel, and key components such as CFs (Color Filters), FPCBs (Flexible Printed Circuit Board) and ICs (Integrated Circuits) remained in short supply, international mobile phone vendors continued to release orders to Taiwanese suppliers in the first quarter of 2004. Coupled with soaring demand for digital video cameras, automotive displays, MP3 players, and digital media players, Taiwanese small and medium display panel shipment volume hit another record high, reaching approximately 109.2 million units. This amounted to a substantial 50% year-on-year rise and 12% sequential growth. In addition, excluding handsets with dual displays, handset display panel market share jumped from 21% in the fourth quarter of 2003 to 33% in the first quarter of 2004.
The first quarter saw more mobile phones going color, and increasing adoption of higher priced a-Si TFT (Thin-Film Transistor) and LTPS (Low Temperature Poly-Silicon) TFT panel among digital still and video cameras. Combined with growth in shipment share of the larger sized TFT panel used in automobiles and portable VCD/DVD players, share of higher priced panel reached an unprecedented high of close to 75%, further driving Taiwanese small and medium display panel ASP (Average Selling Price) up to US$6.8. Spurred by growth in both volume and higher priced shipments, total shipment value reached approximately US$746.6 million in the first quarter of 2004, generating a substantial 166% year-on-year rise and 18% sequential growth.
In the second quarter of 2004, Taiwanese a-Si TFT and LTPS TFT panel makers will continue to receive orders from international brand-name handset vendors such as Motorola. Car TV and location-positioning system shipments to international carmakers are also anticipated to increase. Coupled with shipments of digital still cameras, digital video cameras, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistant), portable VCD/DVD players, and game consoles, Taiwanese small and medium display panel shipment volume is expected to grow 72% year-on-year, reaching approximately 126.7 million units.