LCDs outsell CRTs in Q4 2003

Michael Sager, IDC analyst, said "The Q4 2003 results were very significant, as they are an indicator of the future Australian monitor market. Despite challenges in LCD panel supply, the overall monitor market CRTs were outsold by the new displays for the first time ever."

He added that the branded market now has a new leader in Samsung but predicts it will see increased competition from the former number one, LG, and number three Philips over the coming quarters.

-This market will continue to be very competitive in 2004 with smaller tenders to be had, decreasing ASVs, and growth from the OEM market," Sager said.

In Q4 2003, the monitor market was shaken up by shortages and changes in vendor rankings. In the end, according to Sager, Samsung finished in first position in unit shipment terms with 18.1 percent of the branded monitor market. LG followed in second place with a 17.3 percent share after leading the market for four consecutive quarters. Number three Philips continued its solid performance by increasing its share 0.6 percent over the third quarter to 12.6 percent in Q4 2003. Mitsubishi, on the other hand, continued its slow decline in the market -- it finished in fourth position with 10.9 percent share. To round out the top three, Samsung overtook Mitsubishi to finish with 14.9 percent share of the branded CRT market.

IDC's Australian total monitor market results for October to December 2003 showed that the overall market (CRTs and LCDs) grew by a thin margin of just over 0.1 percent from the previous quarter, but it was a sizeable increase of 14.5 percent year-on-year. The main story of the quarter was the weakness of the branded market as it gave up over 8 points from Q3 to Q4 2003 to the OEM market in unit shipment terms.