El Segundo, Calif. – Strong demand for smaller size tablets helped resulted in panel shipments more than doubling during the first quarter, according to IHS iSuppli.
The research firm reported that global shipments of capacitive touch displays hit 45.2 million units during the first quarter, up from 21.3 million during the same period in 2012, which is a 119 percent improvement.
The vast majority of this increase is derived from the increasing demand for 7- and 8-inch tablets priced in the $199 range. This demand is helping drive down panel pricing, which in turn is pushing down the average selling price of tablets. Panel prices fell 16 percent to $15.60 during the fourth quarter. This followed the 7.5 percent decrease that took place during the fourth quarter of 2012.
