TFT shortages to end this year

Prices of TFT screens are expected to fall as last year's supply problems come to an end. Shortages will still exist in the notebook PC market but this is unlikely to be major problem during Q1 due to seasonal demand patterns. In Q4 last year, global production was up 41 per cent to 6.46 million LCD-TFT sheets. New mass production lines go into operation in Taiwan, Korea and Japan later this year with a estimated capacity of 8.18 million sheets compared with a demand of 7.82 million according to AsiaBizTech. In the third quarter of 1999, a 15in TFT-LCD panel for desktops sold for $650. That price is expected to fall to around $400 by Q4 2000. ® See also: Korean IT sector has a bumper 1999 Taiwan beefs up TFT facilities LCD drought set to worsen TFT famine until 2001