103.7 million large LCD panels were shipped in the first quarter of 2008, according to research firm WitsView. That’s a decrease of 1.5% from 2007 fourth quarter shipments, not bad given the typical weak sales of the post-holiday season. Year-over-year though, the first quarter of the year saw a 41.5% increase in large panel shipments, moving 30 million more than this time last year.If it weren’t for poor LCD TV sales in the first quarter, down 9.9% to 23.5 million units from the holiday season, we may have seen overall growth in the first quarter of the year. Amazingly, laptops and monitors sporting LCD displays actually grew from the 2007 holiday season sales numbers.

Low demand means high supply, and high supply means prices begin to drop. Manufacturers saw a decrease in the price per LCD panel of $188 since Christmas, probably a tough pill to swallow for top manufacturers desperately trying to cut LCD TV prices in preparation for the Beijing Olympics.

Via Digitimes

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