Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) will grab 80% of personal computer (PC) monitor market share this year, claims a forecast from Displaybank research firm. This emphasizes that LCDs are crowding out traditional cathode ray tube (CRT) displays from the market. The worldwide display shipments is likely to grow only by about 4%. 

Displaybank, a display market research firm, has recently predicted in its global monitor market forecast report for 2006 that monitor shipments will hit 155 million units in 2006, with LCD monitor shipments likely to reach 125 million units for a 80.4% share. This indicates that the LCD monitor market is growing at a rapid pace, with the ratio of LCD to CRT shifting from 50:50 in 2004 to 70.3:29.7 in 2005 and to 80.4:19.6 in 2006.

By contrast, worldwide monitor shipments are projected to grow by a relatively modest 4% in 2006, and this growth will stay at around 5% in the future, according to the research firm. This is attributed to firstly slowed growth in the global PC market and secondly declining demand for desktop PCs, caused by the increase in notebook PC shipments.

By size, 19” and over LCD monitor shipments will likely represent 28% in 2006, and the current mainstream 17” segment may comprise the bulk at 61%. Monitor manufacturers have been moving towards more profitable large size categories, and consumers’ demand for larger monitors has been improving, accelerating commercial launches of many monitors in the large segment in 2006.