Large-sized panel shipment declined to 2.5 pc in June

TAIPEI, TAIWAN: According to the survey by WitsView, the display research division of the global market intelligence provider TrendForce, the large-sized panel shipment for June 2013 reached 65.95 million units, declining 2.5 percent MoM.

When entering the slow season in June and TV panel seeing extending price drops, brands stayed cautious on procurement, and the overall LCD TV panel shipment stumbled 7.7 percent MoM to 18.78 million units in June. The overall monitor panel shipment declined 4 percent MoM to 14.02 million units as the Taiwan-based maker Innolux shifted some G5 capacity to strongly growing mid-and small-sized products.

To boost the Q2 sales performance, panel makers' NB panel shipment for the 10.1" and above continued to heat up, and the shipment came to 17.74 million units, surging 5.4 percent MoM. For the tablet shipment, despite the growing demands for Google's Nexus 7 and Samsung's tablets, Apple's constant inventory adjustment led to drops in both the 9.7" and 7.9" shipments compared to the previous month, and the tablet panel shipment volume totaled to 15.41 million units, declining 3 percent MoM.

WitsView's research manager Jeffy Chen indicates that as Apple's new iPad launch is scheduled in Q3, the inventory adjustments for the old 9.7 and 7.9 have been kicked off since Q2. Among the IPS and TN panel shipments of the 7" and above, including 1024*600 (WSVGA), the 7.9" and the 9.7" account for declining proportions of 11.4 percent and 18.5 percent, respectively, in June from 16.3 percent and 19 percent, respectively, in May.

The panel resolution for the new 9.7" iPad, Apple's flagship model, remains 2048*1536 (WQXGA) as that for its predecessor, but the bezel is upgraded to the narrow bezel design, while the touch module is shifted from the previous G/G to GF2, showing a more thin-light and stylish appearance. With the new model coming, the Q3 9.7" panel demand will surge expectedly more than 55% from Q2.

The 7.9" iPad mini 2 using Retina Display is rumored being shared by LGD, Samsung Display, and Sharp, but the panel shipment is postponed to late Q3 and early Q4. Before the official launch of iPad mini 2, it is said Apple will upgrade the current iPad mini for sale, and the overall Q3 demand for the 7.9 panel demand will grow more than 15 percent from Q2.

Based on WitsView's estimate, July remains the light season for Chinese brands' restocking, and TV panel shipment is projected to drop 2-3 percent from June, while monitor panel shipment declines 1-2percent from the previous month. The NB panel shipment drops 10-11 percent from June due to some brands' quarter-end financial settlements. With Apple's new 9.7" tablet about to come to the market, the demand for the 9.7" panel heats up, in addition, the demand for Google's second generation of Nexus 7 will also boost the overall tablet shipment by 20-25 percent from June.