Taiwan's IA Sector Sees Brisk Growth
September 22, 2000 (TAIPEI) -- Taiwan's information appliance (IA) sector, which only began to "take off" last year, experienced sharp growth in the first half of this year, according to a recent market research report.
Also, the sector is set to report a significant expansion for the full year.
The Market Information Center (MIC) has conducted research on thin clients, Internet-capable TVs, screen phones and smart handheld devices -- the four major categories of IA products. The center found that production of those devices in the first half of the year topped 2.7 million units, with a total production value of more than US$566 million.
For all of 2000, the MIC expects Taiwan's IA sector to enjoy production growth of 98.1 percent on a year-on-year basis and 62.4 percent year-on-year growth in terms of production value.
According to statistics released by the MIC, thin-client device production is expected to achieve the highest level of growth. Producers in Taiwan will likely obtain 57 percent of the global market for those products this year, making Taiwan the world's largest supplier in this category. About 265,000 units of thin-client devices were produced in the first half of the year in Taiwan, and shipments are expected to reach about 710,000 units in 2000, or more than double last year's 300,000 units.
Smart handheld devices, including smart phones and PDAs will all register large-scale growth this year. Taiwan is expected to ship 1.55 million units of smart handheld devices this year, representing a year-on-year growth rate of 250 percent, with a production value of US$251 million, up 205 percent from last year's figure.
(Commercial Times, Taiwan) |
