- Taiwanese optical disk drive shipment volume continued to grow in the first quarter of 2003, increasing 3.1% from the fourth quarter of 2002 to total 22 million units. CD-ROMs, CD-RWs, and DVD-ROMs constituted 32%, 36%, and 22% of shipment volume, respectively.
DVD-ROM and CD-RW shipment volume remained level, while CD-ROM shipment volume and ASP fell. However, on the strength of rising shipment volume of combos and CD-RWs, total shipment value for the first quarter of 2003 surpassed the previous quarter by 6%, reaching US$790 million.
Due to seasonal factors, Taiwan's optical disk drive industry will likely contract by 8% during the second quarter of 2003, a more modest drop in comparison with the 11.1% loss experienced between the first and second quarters of 2002. As bundling of DVD-ReW in desktop and notebook PCs continues to climb, Taiwanese makers are aggressively planning new rollouts of combo and DVD-ReW models. The launch of such models is expected to drive both shipment volume and value growth during the second half of 2003.