Monitor vendors are continuing to tackle curved units sized 27-inch and above with 2560 by 1080 and Ultra HD resolutions as part of their strategy in the first half of 2015, according to Digitimes Research.In May, Samsung Electronics launched 29- and 27-inch curved units, the S29E790C and S27E591C, that feature similar resolutions.Vertical Display technology in addition to DisplayPort and HDMI dual-interfaces are also a focus for these units compared with previous units of similar sizes and above such as 34-inch units.34-inch units are Samsung's main push featuring Ultra HD resolution in the first half of 2015, added Digitimes Research.

Taiwan's major IC foundries will see their combined revenues decrease 4.5% sequentially in the second quarter of 2015, according to Digitimes Research. Weaker-than-expected smartphone shipments as well as downward pressure on the world economy have prompted many of IC suppliers to continue adjusting their inventory levels.Combined revenues of Taiwan's major foundries including TSMC, UMC and VIS are forecast to reach US$8.05 billion in the second quarter, down from US$8.45 billion in the first, said Digitimes Research. The revenues for first-quarter 2015 were 7.8% higher than the levels a year earlier.The anticipated on-year increase, however, is smaller than the more than 10% growth usually seen in the same quarter in previous years, Digitimes Research noted.Taiwan's major foundries will also see their product ASPs fall further in the second quarter, due to an overall fall in combined revenues generated from 28nm and 20nm process technologies, as well as declining production utilization rates at the foundries, Digitimes Research said.

Taiwan-based makers will ship 41.579 million smartphone-use touch panels in the second quarter of 2015, increasing 23.5% on quarter but decreasing 22.3% on year, 8.941 million tablet-use units, up 7.2% and down 15% respectively, and 2.175 million notebook-use units, up 34% and 16.0% respectively, according to Digitimes Research.Combined shipments of smartphone-use, tablet-use and notebook-use touch panels will account for 12%, 16.9% and 53.1% respectively of global total, Digitimes Research indicated.Of Taiwan-based makers' smartphone-use touch panels in particular, 48.4% will be of thin-film capacitive models, 24.9% On-Cell, 17.9% OGS (one glass solution) and 8.8% GG (glass-on-glass). Innolux and General Interface Solution, both belonging to the Foxconn Group, together will account for 28.6% of shipments, TPK Holding for 25%, J Touch 13.3% and Young Fast Optoelectronics 12.8%.

China-based TFT-LCD panel maker BOE Technology will expand monthly capacity at its 8.5G production line in Chongqing, western China, from 90,000 glass substrates to 120,000 units, according to Digitimes Research.The company will also begin to set up an 8.5G line in Fuzhou, southeastern China, in the first half of 2017 and a 10.5G line in Hefei, northern China, in the second half of 2018.BOE's move comes as it aims to expand its influence in the panel industry and as subsidies from the China government are starting to decrease as it shifts focus to developing the local components segment.BOE will have a 27% CAGR for its large-size panel capacity over the next 4-5 years compared to an average of 5% from other makers and is expected to hold a 10% global share in large-size TFT LCD capacity by 2017.The company is also likely to surpass AU Optronics (AUO) in 2018-2019 in terms of large-size display capacity if its plan to unleash new capacity at its 10.5G fab over the period remains unchanged, said Digitimes Research.

China makers' shipments of touch panels for smartphone, tablet and notebook applications dropped 17.4%, 31.7% and 33.5% respectively in the first quarter of 2015, according to Digitimes Research.White-box tablet demand in China slowed down during the first quarter while notebook touch panel orders shifted back to Taiwan makers. Smartphone touch panel shipments were relatively low as the makers increased shipments to Samsung Electronics.Heading into the second quarter the applications expect to see 19.5%, 12.7% and 20% on-quarter growth respectively. Tablet applications will see the lowest growth due to lagging demand for white-box products.In terms of makers, Truly Optoelectronics has seen a decline in OGS shipments as OPPO and Vivo have shifted touch panel orders to JDI for in-cell technology. EELY on the other hand is expecting increased orders heading into the second quarter as it shifts more toward handset applications and receives increased orders from Samsung. Holitech Technology meanwhile will also see its handset touch panel shipments increase throughout the year starting from the second quarter as it furthers cooperation with major handset vendors in China, said Digitimes Research.

Tablet application processor (AP) shipments to China are estimated to grow 18.6% sequentially in the second quarter of 2015 to reach about 29 million units as demand from the end market starts to recover. Top-3 suppliers in China's tablet AP market, MediaTek, Rockchip and Intel, together will contribute 59.1% of total tablet AP shipments in the second quarter, down 0.8pp from a quarter ago. Intel will be the third-largest supplier for the second consecutive quarter.As China's tablet ecosystem is approaching maturity and the market is seeing fierce competition, demand for tablets is unlikely to see much growth. Compared to the second quarter of 2014, tablet AP shipments to China were down 6.4% and has been dropping since the first quarter of 2015, Digitimes Research's figures showed.After a sharp shipment decline in the first quarter of 2015, MediaTek will be able to achieve shipment growth in the second quarter thanks to clients' recovering demand. MediaTek's shipment share in China's tablet AP market will also slip from 24.3% in the first quarter to 23.9% in the second.Rockchip and Intel will both enjoy sequential shipment growths in the second quarter of 2015 as clients have increased orders.

Panel makers in Asia have continued to strengthen their financial performances in 2015 as panel pricing has remained similar to that in 2014 while overall production costs have dropped, leading to increased profits for most makers, according to Digitimes Research.AU Optronics (AUO) has an operating profit margin of 11.2% in the first quarter of 2015, its highest over the last 19 quarters to hold the number one spot over Innolux, LG Display and Samsung Display.Additionally, China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT) reached a 14.5% net profit margin in the first quarter of 2015, surpassing its 9% mark for 2014 while BOE reported 43% on-year growth in revenues, said Digitimes Research.

Hewlett-Packard (HP), Dell, Lenovo, Acer and Asustek Computer, the five largest notebook vendors, saw combined shipments in April decrease 32% on month, while Quanta Computer, Compal Electronics and Wistron, the world's three largest notebook ODMs, saw combined shipments in April slip 16% on month, according to Digitimes Research's latest monthly notebook shipment report.In addition to March's high shipment comparison, the vendors' pessimistic attitude about notebook demand in the second quarter was also a main factor for the drop.Lenovo, HP and Acer saw their shipments fall over 50%, over 40% and close to 30% on month, respectively in April, but compared to April a year ago, HP still enjoyed growth, Digitimes Research's figures showed.Dell had the best performance among the top-five vendors in the month with a slight increase in shipments from March and 20% on year thanks to new notebook products.Compal and Wistron both had about 20% on-month shipment declines in April, while Quanta only suffered about 10% due to increased orders from Apple.Microsoft's plans of expanding Office's support to other platforms and having other platforms' apps support Windows are expected to benefit Windows-based smartphones and 2-in-1 devices significantly. As for PCs, Windows 10, which is scheduled to be released in the third quarter, is having some impact on PC shipments in the second quarter.

Taiwan makers' shipments of LCD TVs reached 7.48 million in the first quarter of 2015, down over 30% on quarter and the lowest since the first quarter of 2010, according to Digitimes Research.The makers' shipment proportion to North America decreased from 52.1% in the fourth quarter of 2014 to 43% in the first quarter as orders in the area declined and because Foxconn Electronics saw a surge of orders to Mexico-based customers, causing its proportion of North America-based customers to drop.TPV, Foxconn and Wistron were the top makers during the first quarter, with Foxconn and TPV both surpassing the one million mark, and Wistron saw relatively lower shipments as it relied on US-based customers. Compal and Amtran meanwhile held 6.7% and 4.3% overall shipment shares.Shipments are expected to pick up in the second quarter, rising over 20% in quarter to around nine million units, as orders from Mexico-based customers are expected to grow. China-based customers Xiaomi and LeTV will also increase orders to Taiwan makers while Compal will receive increased orders from Korea-based makers, Digitimes Research said.

Global tablet shipments are expected to stay flat from a quarter ago and reach 49.31 million units in the second quarter of 2015, but compared to the same quarter a year ago, the volume will drop close to 10%. Apple's iPad shipments are expected to decline to 9.8 million units, down 30% on year, according to Digitimes Research's latest report about global tablets.Because of the Lunar New Year holidays, which caused fewer working days in the first quarter, white-box players had weak shipment performance in the quarter, but are expected to gradually recover starting April. In addition, with Wintel China Technology Ecosystem's (CTE) 2-in-1 solution starting to gain demand, white-box players' combined shipments are expected to reach around 20 million units in the second quarter, performing best among the three major groups: Apple, non-Apple vendors, and white-box players.Non-Apple vendors' shipments are expected to reach around 19 million units in the second quarter, about the same level as the first quarter because Samsung Electronics has shifted its mass shipment schedule from the first quarter to the second. The move will also help Samsung to shrink its gap with Apple.Lenovo's MediaTek-based inexpensive tablet has also started mass shipments in the second quarter. Asustek Computer is expected to see shipments decline in the quarter because of reduced subsidies from Intel and issues with the CPU giant's SoFIA 3G-R.Taiwan ODMs' tablet shipments will drop below 15 million units in the second quarter because of the shipment decline of iPads, and Taiwan brand vendors' weak performance, causing their combined share in worldwide shipments to drop, according to Digitimes Research.