June 1, 2012 — Display manufacturers LG Display and Samsung Display dominated the tablet display panel market in 2011, but several more display makers grabbed small pieces of the tablet pie than had in 2010, according to an IHS iSuppli Small and Medium Displays Market Tracker. That trend will continue in 2012.
High-profile design wins at Apple Inc., Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Research in Motion (RIM) kept LG Display and Samsung Display with the lion’s share of tablet display manufacturing, 46% and 35% respectively (see the table), said Vinita Jakhanwal, director for small & medium Displays at IHS.
Year-over-year, both LG Display and Samsung lost share, which was picked up by six suppliers: Chimei Innolux Corp, Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd., E-Ink Holdings Inc., Tianma Microelectronics Co., Beijing Orient Electronics Group Co. Ltd., and Hitachi Displays Ltd. All 8 suppliers are based in Asia, from South Korea, Taiwan, China, and Japan.
| Table. Global share of media tablet display panel manufacturing (unit shipment volume). SOURCE: IHS iSuppli Research, May 2012. | ||||
| Rank | Company | HQ | 2011 market share (%) | 2010 market share (%) |
| 1 | LG Display | South Korea | 46 | 67 |
| 2 | Samsung | South Korea | 35 | 31 |
| 3 | Chimei Innolux | Taiwan | 7 | 0 |
| 4 | Chunghwa Picture Tubes | Taiwan | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | Hitachi Displays | Japan | 3 | 0 |
| 6 | Beijing Orient Electronics | China | 3 | 0 |
| 7 | E-ink | Taiwan | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Tianma Microelectronics | China | 1 | 0 |
| Total: | 100 | 100 | ||
While LG and Samsung are expected to maintain their dominance in 2012, new players such as Sharp Corp. and Japan Display, as well as AU Optronics (AUO), take their own portions of market share. Tablet display suppliers will need to satisfy a range of price points in 2012, which could increase diversification. Higher levels of competition will help to drive down panel costs to OEMs, fueling higher demand and growth, IHS believes.
In 2011, 81.3 million tablet display panels shipped, up 408% from 2010’s 16 million units. Tablet panel shipments will increase 78% to 144.5 million units in 2012, driving growth for <10” displays (small/medium displays). Also read: @ imec’s ITF: Entering the booming market of mobile displays
The 9” segment represented 68% of the tablet display sector in 2011, as it includes Apple’s iPad. In 2012, look for 7” designs to gain share, as much as 36% of total market, especially if Apple enters the sector with an “iPad Mini.”
Read more in Fourth Quarter SMD Shipments Add To Panel Inventories or access IHS iSuppli’s Small and Medium Displays Market Tracker report.