The predictions state that LCD sales will double next year, but 2005 and beyond is another story. That’s when flat panel technology is expected to explode, eventually displacing CRT tube TV sets.
The industry is expected to boom as living room size LCD TVs, which remain costly, come down in price with the introduction of major new production capacity, mostly in Korea and Taiwan, over the next two years, said a technology analysis by Reuters.
Reuters said executives and analysts believe LCD TV production will double next year to between eight and 10 million sets from about four million in 2003 and less than one million in 2002. However, those numbers are still relatively small for a worldwide TV market where annual sales number about 150 million units.
However, as new manufacturing technology comes online, prices are expected to drop dramatically. LCD models could make up as much as 15 percent of worldwide TV sales within the next five years as they become more affordable, Reuters reported.
For more information visit www.reuters.com.