10” LCDs to replace 7” LCDs in subnotebooks?

One of the reasons why Asus chose a 7” screen for its pioneering low-cost subnotebook Asus Eee PC 701 is that it is a ubiquitous size found in DVD players, car instrumentation panels, ISM displays, etc. The popularity obviously translates into wide availability and cost-effective pricing – perfect for a device intended to be become a commodity item.

It is of no surprise then that Asus’ rivals opted for the same screen size for their own competing products. But since they found it difficult to match the Eee PC’s value at the same price point, they opted also opted for a bigger screen and more features at a higher price. But the price difference has to be incremental at most, for the models were intended to compete with the Eee PC 701. Hence some of the competitors selected the next off-the-shelf, the 8.9" screen. However the 8.9”, being just slightly bigger than the 7”, does not provide significant improvement. As such it is not exactly a popular model and therefore does not provide the same value as the smaller 7”.

The next size up is the 10” panel, which has found new applications in digital photo frame (an emerging product line), upgraded DVD players, and some ebook readers. In addition, the expanding subnotebook market segment provides many opportunities as well.

Reacting to these trends, major panel manufacturers are now shifting to 10” production. Taiwan-based CPT and Innolux Display both already have production of 10.2” panels, fabricating at 4.5G lines, in addition to their 10.1” production. AU Optronics (AUO), Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO), LG Display and Samsung Electronics all have plans to produce 10.1-inch panels at their 5G lines. HannStar Display is said to be planning 10-inch panel production at its 5.3G line.

With these developments, we can expect 10.1” panels to become the popular screen size for subnotebooks at the latest Q2 next year, with 7” models becoming lower-priced entry models and 8.9” models fading away.