Cheng-yuan Lin, president of Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT), recently suggested that US$250 should be a reasonable upper limit for 15-inch panel price, which would not hurt consumer demand for 15-inch LCD monitors while giving a reasonable return to panel producers. Other Taiwanese TFT LCD producers agree with Lin’s view.
Taiwanese producers, including CPT and AU Optronics (AUO), plan to increase 15-inch TFT LCD prices in January, currently at about US$225, by US$10 and predict another price hike may occur in March. Some producers said that if the price could reach US$250 early in the third quarter, it would be of great help to Taiwan’s panel producers and the further development of the TFT LCD industry as a whole.
Article translated by Shih-wei Kao and edited by Richard So
