Tablet shipments tilt to small-screen products

Absrtact: Last October, the advent of the 7.9-inch small tablet ipad mini appeared to hint at Apple's attitude of 7 to 9 inches of small flat panels, which would be more popular than 9.7 or 10.1-inch Tablet PCs. Attractive selling price is a big selling point for mini tablet

Last October, the advent of the 7.9-inch small tablet ipad mini appeared to hint at Apple's attitude of--7 to a small, 9-inch tablet that would be more popular than 9.7 or 10.1-inch tablets. The attractive selling price is a big selling point for the mini tablet, and the ability to handle it with one hand makes the product popular. Last month, the monthly TFT Lcd shipment Database report showed that the first month of 2013, tablet computer shipments to small-screen products tilt.

December 2012, January 2013 tablet Computer Shipments Column chart (Tencent Science and technology with map)

TFT LCD data display, 9.7-inch Tablet PCs dropped from 7.4 million to 1.3 million, while shipments of 7-inch and 7.9-inch tablets grew fast, from 1.2 million to 1.4 million, and 10.1-inch Tablet PCs, with a slight increase in shipments.

The January 2013 tablet shipments can be seen as an indicator of the year and a shift in Apple's product mix. Last December, Apple planned to sell 4 million ipad mini and 6 million ipads in 2013. But for now, the reality seems to have turned upside down, as the ipad Mini is more popular than the ipad. Apple may now plan to sell 5.5 million ipad Mini and 3.3 million ipads in 2013. At the same time, Samsung, Google (Weibo), Amazon, Asus, Acer and other companies are looking at the gradually rising size of the small tablet computer market, hoping to snatch more market share, and many shanzhai manufacturers, also began to expand the production of mini flat.

In the monthly global FPD shipments and Outlook report, analysts forecast 2013 Tablet PC shipments, expected to reach 25.4 million units, far more than 2012 years of 16 million. The 5-inch to 8-inch tablet sales will reach 13.6 million units, and 9 inches to 10 inches of Tablet PCs will account for 11.8 million units. That means smaller Tablet PCs will be selling more than the traditional 9 to 10-inch tablet.

But while the 7-to 9-inch tablet computer is growing fast, there are some key issues:

-5 to 6-inch smartphones, how does it affect the sales of 7.x-inch tablet PCs? As smartphone screens start to grow 5 to 6 inches, the "tablet phone" is also likely to erode the 7-inch tablet market.

-The next revolution in the 7.85-inch tablet, is UXGA (resolution up to 1920x1200, over 250ppi), or QXGA (resolution up to 2048x1536, exceeding the PPI)? Apple has been leading the hyper-resolution trend, It is also bound to spur competitors to change their product plans.

-Many panel manufacturers are developing 7-inch resolution 1920x1200, or even 8.9-inch 1920x1200 or 2048x1536, up to 300ppi display. However, this is bound to bring a small challenge to the panel supply. 7 to 9 inch screens to achieve such high resolution, there are three technical options: A-Si, LTPs, and oxide. Every panel maker has a different strategy, which one will become mainstream?

-The IPad Mini is popular for its slim, slim design, which has become an important indicator of the tablet market. Some panel manufacturers believe that integration into the IC's LTPs is the only way to achieve a narrow border, while others believe that LTPs is the only way to narrow the border QXGA reach 330ppi. However, the LTPS yield and high investment costs still make many people have a big question mark on the technology.

-Up to now, 7 to 9-inch tablet PCs are selling mostly because of relatively low prices. But such a strategy is not a long-term plan for branding. With improved resolution, functional upgrades, and optimized product design, can 7 to 9 inch tablets achieve higher positioning? Will the target buyers pay for higher-priced high-end mini tablets?