Monitors: The hub of convergence experience

Gone are the days when monitors were treated as an afterthought when buying PCs. The rise in multi-media usage coupled with growing usage of high bandwidth and graphic inten-sive applications have made monitors a hub of convergence experience. 

Today, monitors have bec-ome a necessary equipment, which provides integrated con-tents like information, enter-tainment, business and educa-tion, beyond just a display equipment for Internet surfing and mundane office work. 

The future of monitor tech-nology will be primarily deter-mined by the growing criticality of the computer applications coupled with rising awareness among the consumers regard-ing the need of high quality monitors. The coming years would see a growing emphasis on monitor technology in areas like display quality, clarity, space saving form feature, energy savings and health related features (like zero radiation, strain free viewing), ease of use and looks.

The Indian market has alre-ady witnessed almost a comp-lete switch over from 14 inch to 15 inch monitors and presen-tly, it is witnessing a similar shift at a much faster pace from 15 inch to 17 inch monitors. 

The major technology trends that would govern the Indian market over the next few years would be the increasing shift towards 17 inch and above monitor sizes, flat screens, touch screens and wireless technologies, along with wider acceptance of upcoming dis-play projection technologies like TFT/LCD (Thin Film Tran-sistor/Liquid Crystal Display), DMD, Plasma and
OLED.

The significant technology movement currently and in the years to come would witness a greater shift towards
LCD/TFT.

According to research agencies, with falling price points, LCD monitors are becoming more affordable, and it is expected that the Indian market for LCD’s will continue to expand at a high growth rate in 2003 and 2004 as prices fall further. 

The reasons are not far to seek. TFT/LCDs offer advan-tages over normal CRT moni-tors with features like space saving, energy saving, zero radiation and trendy and sleek designs. A TFT/LCD monitor occupies less that one-fourth the space of a normal monitor with support options like hangers and wall
mounters. 

However, the price disparity between the TFT and normal CRT monitors has to an extent restricted the use of TFT’s in corporates and other industry verticals. These monitors will pick up in the SOHO and home segment once the prices of these monitors become more affordable for this segment. With rapid advancement in technologies and falling price point the coming years would surely see a greater acceptance of TFT’s in the SOHO and home segment. One trend, which the Indian monitor market is rapidly witnessing, is a marked movement from 15 inch to 17 inch and above range of moni-tors. This is a view subscribed to by industry experts as well as vendors. According to IDC, with the share of 17 inch monitors incre-asing considera-bly there is a definite shift happening from 15 inch to 17 inch monitors in the Indian market. However, the market is still dominated by 15 inch monitors, which account for more than half the market size. 

Two primary reasons can be attributed to the growing market share of 17 inch moni-tors. First the lowering of price differential between the 15 inch and 17 inch monitors, unlike early days the difference is much more affordable to the end users. Secondly, the grow-ing realization by customers regarding the pivotal role which monitors play in the whole PC set up with the growing complexity of PC applications like entertain-ment, information, education, etc, warranting better display qualities. In times to come we shall definitely see 17 inch mo-nitors becoming the baseline monitors for the PC market.

One interesting point to note in the monitor technology is the significant technology movement taking place towa-rds flat screen monitors beca-use of the advantages of better resolution, and strain-free viewing for eyes, which the Indian customer is today incre-asingly growing aware of. 

Research data shows that the share of flat screen moni-tors is increasing faster in the 17 inch segment and will further increase with the price differential between a 17 inch flat and a 17 inch conventional monitor coming down. This is leading to the increasing pro-portion of 17 inch flat moni-tors in overall monitor market. With the market for flat scre-ens growing, this segment is seeing a lot of innovation, most vendors in the flat space have different technologies patented to them. 

Thus, with the monitors becoming the center of com-puting experience, the Indian monitor market is witnessing a marked change in both market and technology trends. However, keeping in view the price sensitivity of the Indian market these technologies might take some time before gaining critical volumes to become mass products in the Indian markets.

R Manikandan DGM (Sales & Marketing (IT Product)) LG India