According to the DisplaySearch Q1’11 Touch Panel Market Analysis update, touch screen shipments for tablet (or slate) PCs are forecast to reach 60M units in 2011. Apple will likely continue to account for the majority of tablet PC touch screens in 2011 and 2012, yet other brands could catch up in 2012 and beyond. DisplaySearch forecasts total touch panels for tablet PCs to reach 260M units in 2016, up 333% from 2011.
“Tablet PCs are the fastest growing application for touch screens,” noted Jennifer Colegrove, PhD, Vice President of Emerging Display Technologies for DisplaySearch. “Most tablet PC products will leverage multi-touch projected capacitive technology, following Apple’s lead. At the same time, a small amount of tablet PCs are using resistive touch, since it is less expense and enables handwriting recognition. There are also some tablet PCs that use digitizers for handwriting recognition and drawing.”
Figure: Touch Screens for Tablet PC Shipment Forecast ( in Millions)
Source: DisplaySearch Q1’11 Touch Panel Market Analysis Update
The touch screen supply chain is evolving differently in each region, based on variations in touch screen technologies and customer needs. Taiwan suppliers are focusing on the overall value chain while expanding manufacturing capacity for touch panels. Following their success in mobile phones, Taiwanese suppliers are planning to achieve the same success with tablet PCs. In North America, Atmel, Synaptics, and IDT have announced new controller IC products for projected capacitive touch screens. Japanese suppliers have struggled to grow, due to the strength of the yen over other currencies. Several Japanese suppliers, such as Gunze and Suzutora, are expanding capacity of their ITO film lines.
More than 10 different structures are currently in use for projected capacitive touch screens. This is due to the different IP and manufacturing strengths and weakness of each supplier. Colegrove noted, “The suppliers that utilize simpler structures and fewer materials and processes, while maintaining performance, are likely to be the most successful in the touch panel market.”
Other key findings from the Q1’11 Touch Panel Market Analysis update include the following:
• AUO has achieved yield rates of more than 80% for on-cell touch in small/medium size displays, and has begun shipping DSC, portable navigation devices (PND), and mobile phone applications.
• HP unveiled the first touchscreen all-in-one PC to feature a 60° reclining display, enabling users to adjust the display’s position for a comfortable experience. Apple applied for a patent in 2010 with a similar solution. This type of ergonomic solution will boost touch adoption for all-in-one PCs in the future.
• At CES 2011, Sharp, Motorola, Lenovo, RIM PlayBook, Samsung, Dell, Freescale, Microsoft Kinect, PrimeSens, e OpenNI, MultiTouch Ltd, 3M, Touch Revolution, IDT, Stantum, LG Display, Wacom, Keytec, and Samsung all had products with touch or touch screen demonstrations.
• Touch controllers are seen as increasingly critical for touch solutions in mobile phones and slate PCs.
The Q1’11 update serves as a supplement to the DisplaySearch 2010 Touch Panel Market Analysis. This report covers the progress of the fast-growing touch industry, including touch suppliers, newly-launched touch products, trends, trade show/conference reviews, price trends and revised forecasts for rapidly changing categories.
Source:t DisplaySearch
seriously, I just looked 2010, 2011 maybe… after that is just BS
BS is right! These “geniuses” don’t understand Apple.
From that bar graph they have Apple is just barely doubling their current numbers over the next 5 years but the rest of the industry close to doubling their numbers every year for the next 5 years? That doesn’t add up. It’s like they think Apple is just gonna sit on their ass for the next 5 years? Apple is not Microsoft, they don’t just invent (copy) a product then do nothing with it for years.
I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume that Apple will come up with several things in the next 5 years that will blow everyone’s mind.
The growth curve for ‘others’ is based on what conjecture? Simply ramping up supplies will not equal sales.
Ask Microsoft & HP how many tablet computers were sold in the last 5 years that were running some sort of flavor of Windows. Then ask yourself this question: how many Motorola & Samsung tablets running variants of Android were sold in the past 6 months.
After you’ve answered these questions ask yourself how do they expect to attract a customer base that is twice Apple’s and overtake Apple in 2013 in tablet sales when Windows 8 running on ARM will only be released in 2012/2013.
These analysts need their anal cavity searched by the TSA to see if they’ve secreted crack cocaine in there.
Bogus.
For other brands to “catch up” in 2012 and beyond, they’d have to be installed in products customers actually want to buy.
On the other hand, the projections have Apple exceeding 100M touch screen devices by 2016. Who would have thought that could be true just a few years ago?! That is the only projection that seems reasonable.
Extrapolating out 5 yrs when they can’t even guess next year right is ludicrous.
Some analysts also thought apple would be lucky to sell 1 to 2 million iPad 1s….
75 million iphones and 30 million ipads 2011
250 million iphones and 120 million ipads 2015
hows my predictions?