Aggregate shipments of lens units for cell phone cameras from Taiwanese manufacturers may shoot to as high as 50% in 2006, up from 30-35% in 2005, due to improving yield rates and increasing demand for camera phones, according to industry sources.
The global shipment volume of camera phones rose from 208 million units in 2004 to 348 million this year, said the sources quoting international survey companies, and added that shipments of lens units grew from 241 million to 420 million during the same time period.
Japanese makers of camera phone lens units will account for at least 55% of global shipments this year, but Taiwanese makers stand a good chance of taking the largest chunk of the market in 2006 by reducing defect rates and expanding production capacities, the sources pointed out. Largan Precision and Genius Electronic Optical are currently the top two Taiwanese makers.
Article translated by Adam Hwang and edited by Eric Mah
