WHETHER IT"S A RESULT of LCD panel makers turning off the taps to increase their profits or a general surge in demand, it appears that there"s a big shortage of 15-inch screens. A report in today"s Economic News said that both Acer and Benq are claiming that there"s a shortfall of panels in the range of 20% to 50%. And the price of 17-inch monitors is staying steady too.
Worse than that, retail prices of 15-inch LCD monitors have risen in Asia by over 20% to stand at around $250. Acer claims the reason is demand has exceeded supply. Most screen analysts have reported in the last month or two that more people than expected have switched from CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors to LCD monitors.
This – by the way – is a very good thing for anyone who will be satisfied with a CRT monitor, which often have a far higher resolution. You can pick up some real bargains for the old CRT technology and get large sized monitors at prices which you could only dream about a year or two ago. They"re quite a bit heavier to lug up the stairs than the LCD variety, but hopefully once a CRT is on your desktop you won"t have to lug it round again for a fair old while.