Taiwan makers ship 2.35 million netbook panels in March

AU Optronics (AUO), HannStar Display and Chimei Innolux Corporation (CMI) shipped 800,000, 800,000 and 750,000 netbook panels, respectively, in March while Samsung Electronics and LG Display (LGD) shipped 300,000 and 400,000 units, according to industry sources.

Taiwan-based panel makers saw slight sequential increases in netbook panel shipments in March, while the Korea competitors' shipments to the segment dropped, the sources noted.

But the number of LGD's netbook panel shipments does not include its 9.7-inch panels for iPad, the sources said. LGD shipped almost 500,000 panels for iPad in March, up from February's 350,000 units, the sources added.

The growth of Taiwan's netbook panel shipments in March was mainly due to more working days in the month, and clients' launch of new products, the sources added.

CMI's figure for March includes pre-merger shipments from Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) and Innolux Display, the sources noted.

With notebook vendors becoming less interested in the netbook market, panel makers' shipments to the segment are expected to remain weak.

Source: Industry sources, compiled by Digitimes, April 2010

Article translated by Yvonne Yu