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Touch-Based Notebook Shipments Increasing 50% in 3Q13

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Touch screen-based notebooks are on the rise.

This should be good news for Microsoft: shipments of touch screen notebooks are expected to reach 7 to 7.5 million units in 3Q13, up nearly 50 to 60 percent compared to the 4.2 to 4.5 million units shipped in 2Q13. This estimated shipment number is expected to keep the penetration rate of touch screen notebooks at around 10 percent, and will likely jump up to 13 percent by the end of the year.

What will supposedly drive this touch-based increase are models of around 11.6 inches with price points hovering between $400 and $450 USD. ODMs are also expected to increase the number of 14 and 15.6 inch models during that quarter -- these are expected to hold nearly a 70 percent market share later this year.

One of the ODMs pushing the touch screen-based notebook momentum in 2013 is Lenovo. The company is reportedly making touch screen notebooks a major focus in the second half of 2013, and plans to announce its mass production target during a supply chain conference in Hafei, China on Monday.

Suppliers claim that Lenovo is mainly adopting glass film film-type (GFF-based) touch panels that will be supplied by China-based O-Film, Taiwan-based Youngfast, Jtouch and Mutto Optronics. GFF-type touch panels have a lower cost than OGS-type panels (One-Glass-Solution) and reportedly a more stable supply chain. But they're thicker, meaning many ODMs will adopt OGS panels for their solutions instead.

Last week IHS predicted that worldwide shipments of touch-screen panels are set to double from 2012 to 2016, reaching nearly 3 billion units. A total of 2.8 billion touch-screen panels will ship in 2016 alone, up from 1.3 billion units in 2012. Shipments in 2013 will surge 34 percent to reach 1.8 billion units, the firm said.

Even more, global shipments of touch-screen notebooks will rise to 78 million units in 2016, up from just 4.6 million in 2012. By 2016, notebooks will account for 12.3 percent of global touch-screen shipments by area, up from less than 2 percent in 2012.

"The notebook represents the key near-term growth generator for touch-screen displays," said Duke Yi, senior manager for display components and materials research at IHS.

6 Comments Comment from the forums
  • rbarone69 29 May 2013 17:21
    If only the notebooks could touch back.
    Reply
  • stevejnb 29 May 2013 17:51
    I'm really not sold on touch screens as an input for laptops. Simply put, mouse/keyboard or trackpad/keyboard work very well for that form factor with touch working very well for something that you can pick up and hold like a book. You can't do that with laptops.

    Tablets and hybrids are another story - touch screens are very well suited for those and create a very nice user experience. That being the case, I'd just as soon keep my laptops non-touch screen.
    Reply
  • rad666 29 May 2013 18:05
    Shipping 50% more touchscreen notebooks doesn't mean people want them...
    Reply
  • WithoutWeakness 29 May 2013 18:15
    Shipments are going to increase in Q3 (July 1 - Sept. 30) because most high-end Windows 8 laptops have touch screens and Q3 is when students going to college buy new laptops. If Windows 8 doesn't see a notable jump in market share come this October/November then Microsoft is going to be in a tough spot.
    Reply
  • InvalidError 29 May 2013 18:24
    A very small number + 50% = still a very small number.

    How many of those shipped touch-screened laptops actually get used as touch though? I know even if I got forced to buy a touch-enabled laptop I would almost certainly end up not using the touch feature.

    So, while they may be selling touch-laptops, how many of them actually get significant amounts of touch input?
    Reply
  • skyjogger 30 May 2013 00:54
    @stevejnb have you used a good touch screen laptop?
    I have a hybrid XPS 12 and when its in laptop form I rarely use the track pad or mouse the touch is just a lot easier for most things. I thought the same as you till I started using one. now when I get on my wifes laptop I always go to touch the screen but it doesn't work and the touchpad/mouse isn't nearly as good. don't get me wrong the keyboard is way better than the on screen one and there are certain tasks where the mouse is better but most touch is easier and quicker
    Reply