First quarter shipments of touch-screen notebook post 4.57M units

With Microsoft introducing Windows 8 operating system that provides the touch interface in the fourth quarter of 2012,notebook PCs with touch-screen panels were released. And this led to the opening of a new market, for projected capacitive touch panels of 10 inches or larger.

There have been issues with touch-screen notebooks in its initial market, and some may rush to call it a failure. But it’s been only less than a year since such laptops were released, and thus it is yet too early to make any decision. True. Looking at the business plans of major laptop makers for 2013, touch-screen notebooks should hold at least 10 percent of the total laptop shipments. In particular, brands from the great China region, including Lenovo, Acer and Asus, have set higher targets of achieving more than 20 percent. 

According to a research by Displaybank, acquired by IHS, total shipments of notebooks with touch screens were 4.57 million units in the first quarter of 2013, up 51.8 percent from a quarter earlier. The touch laptops made up almost 10 percent of the overall notebook market, whose shipments posted 46 million units. Considering that the market is at its initial stage, the penetration rate of touch-screen notebooks is quite high.

(Source: Displaybank, “Touch Panel Shipment Database – Notebook PC,” Q1-13)

With touch-screen notebooks released, manufacturing larger projected capacitive touch panels is accelerating and touch-screen panel related companies are trying hard to be the first to lead the market. Unfortunately, however, as there are no data on touch laptop market good enough to refer, it is not easy for the companies in the industry to set a business plan.

Displaybank published a quarterly “Touch Panel Shipment Database – Notebook PC” report to help them understanding the notebook-use projected capacitive touch panel industry quickly and accurately. The report provides quarterly shipments of touch-screen notebooks by unit/area/value; by inch; by brand; by form factor; by touch panel layer; by touch panel module and controller IC maker; and by cover window materials and bonding type, as well as top five models in terms of shipments.

Displaybank says the report should offer insight into the related market and industry to notebook set makers that are interested in notebook-use projected capacitive touch panels and companies related to touch panel modules, parts and raw materials.