According to research firm DisplaySearch, revenues from touchscreen modules will hit $13.4 billion this year. Projected capacitive screens have seen the largest growth since Apple made them popular on the iPhone in 2007, and DisplaySearch expects capacitive displays to account for 70% of all touchscreen revenues this year. Capacitive display shipments are also expected to jump more than 100% year-over-year. The company said the greatest display growth was in the tablet PC industry, where 26 million touchscreen modules were shipped last year. That figure is expected to jump to 72 million units this year and to more than 100 million units in 2012. ”Touch screen penetration has rapidly increased in mobile phones, handheld games, game consoles, and tablet PC applications, which collectively will account for more than $10.5 billion in touch screen revenues this year,” said Jennifer Colegrove, PhD, vice president of emerging display technologies at DisplaySearch. “In addition, we see strong touchscreen growth over the next several years driven by demand in larger display applications such as all-in-one PCs, notebooks PCs, and consumer gaming.” Read on for the full press release.

Touch Panel Demand Soars; 2011 Revenues to Grow by 90% Y/Y

Growth in Mobile Phones, Tablet PCs, and Portable Gaming Driving the Industry, as Capacitive Overtakes Resistive in Revenues

Santa Clara, CALIF., July 12, 2011—In the recently released Touch Panel Market Analysis, DisplaySearch reported that total touch screen module revenue will reach $13.4 billion in 2011, and nearly double in six years, reaching $23.9 billion by 2017.

“Touch screen penetration has rapidly increased in mobile phones, handheld games, game consoles, and tablet PC applications, which collectively will account for more than $10.5 billion in touch screen revenues this year,” noted Jennifer Colegrove, PhD, Vice President of Emerging Display Technologies at DisplaySearch.“In addition, we see strong touch screen growth over the next several years driven by demand in larger display applications such as all-in-one PCs, notebook PCs, and consumer gaming.”

Projected Capacitive Increasingly Becoming the Dominant Touch Technology

As DisplaySearch previously forecasted, projected capacitive became the leading touch screen technology in terms of revenue in 2010. Projected capacitive growth has been explosive since being popularized by Apple in 2007, and many tablet PCs manufacturers have adopted it. In 2011, projected capacitive shipments are expected to grow by more than 100% Y/Y, and will account for 70% of all touch screen revenues. In addition to dedicated touch screen suppliers moving into projected capacitive, several color filter suppliers and LCD manufacturers have converted lines to produce it. In fact, over 60 companies are supplying projected capacitive in 2011.

Shipments for in-cell touch, which first came to market in 2009, didn’t materialize in 2010. However, in-cell touch is expected to take off in 2012 as yield rates improve. On-cell touch, meanwhile, has seen greater adoption, but the mix has shifted to smaller screen sizes used in mobile phones and digital still cameras, whereas it has had difficulty competing with projected capacitive in tablet PC applications. Other touch technologies are experiencing market growth, such as combination-type touch panels which offer both pen and finger touch.

Mobile Phone Still the Leading Application, Tablet PCs Gaining Share in 2011

Mobile phones are the major application for touch screens in terms of unit shipments, accounting for two-thirds of units shipped in 2010. DisplaySearch forecasts that 868 million touch screens will ship for mobile phone applications in 2011, up 68% Y/Y.

The tablet PC represents a fast-growing application for touch screens, accounting for 26 million units in 2010. Growth continues to be strong, with DisplaySearch forecasting over 72 million touch screens for tablet PCs in 2011, and over 100 million in 2012. Revenues for projected capacitive touch screens in tablet PCs are expected to grow by more than $1 billion in 2011.

Touch penetration is increasing in consumer gaming devices, including consoles such as Microsoft Kinect, as well as handheld games such as the Nintendo 3DS. Over the next few years, notebook and all-in-one PCs as well as automobile monitors are expected to contribute to touch screen market growth as well. Touch technologies with high transmittance, low power consumption, multi-touch or gesture recognition will benefit the most.

The DisplaySearch Touch Panel Market Analysis report is a comprehensive analysis of the touch panel technologies and their market forecasts through 2017. This report has a detailed breakdown of 22 applications (with tablet PCs application) with 11 touch technology categories and nine size categories. It also has details on touch controller ICs, the sensor market, and an area and multi-touch forecast through 2017.

DisplaySearch surveyed over 190 suppliers of touch screen modules, controller ICs, ITO film, and other components to produce the 2011 Touch Panel Market Analysis report. These firms are profiled in the report, along with 2010 history, shipments, and revenues for over 100 touch screen suppliers.

Right on time, the hit-or-miss LG Versa has made its sales debut online and at Verizon stores. This modular LG phone will set you back $199 with a $50 mail-in rebate and a 2-year contract, as reported. Official specs from the site:

• 1900/800 MHz CDMA
• EV-DO Revision A (Rev. A)
• 3.0″ display with 262K color, 480 x 240 pixels, ambient light sensor and proximity sensor
• 2.0 Megapixel Camera & Camcorder with Autofocus, Flash & Image Editor
• Virtual QWERTY Keypad & Detachable QWERTY Keypad
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Music Player for MP3, WMA, Unprotected AAC & Unprotected AAC+ formats
• External memory card slot that supports up to 16GB microSD
• 2.5 mm headset jack
• Text, picture and video messaging with threaded messaging
• Support for a variety of Verizon services including: Mobile Email, Mobile IM, Mobile Web Email, My Verizon, VZ Navigator, Chaperone Parent/Child
• Mobile Broadband Connect Capable (tethering)
• Speakerphone and voice commands
• Bilingual interface – English and Spanish
• OTA Device Software Update
• 4.16” (h) x 2.07” (w) x 0.54” (d), 3.81 ounces
• 1,100 mAh battery providing up to 290 minutes of usage time or 430 hours standby time

If anyone dares to take the plunge and purchase this unusual device, definitely hit us up in the comments and let us know what you think.

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We already knew the bulk of the specs for the LG Versa and that Verizon is all set to release it on March 1st, but until now we were at a loss as to what Verizon would be charging for the Versa. Well we can now safely say that after a $50 rebate the Versa will set users back a husky $199.99 (or $449.99 at full retail) on a 2-year contract. Sadly the one-time costs don’t end there if you’re planning for some serious game-time with your Versa. A game controller module will be released in limited quantities for $29.99, though this is likely to be of small concern to most. We’ve been very critical of the concept of this phone in the past but we are now convinced that we were right for being suspicious of it — makers of all things bedizened Dooney & Bourke and all things aspiring Liz Claiborne have signed on the dotted line as official suppliers of “carrying solutions”. *Shudder* So have you got March 1st circled on your calendar or are you planning to sleep in? Hit the jump for a few slides.

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If you’re a Verizon customer who is looking to get a new touchscreen device without breaking the bank, you might want to mark down March 1st in your calendar. Rumor has it that’s when the LG Versa will go on sale and while it might not be the most impressive phone Big Red’s stable – with its dumb phone OS, simple 2 megapixel camera, a basic web browser and a dreaded stylus-operated touchscreen – it does have a rather peculiar way of adding attachments that some people are sure to think of as being the neatest thing since sliced bread. You see, the Versa is designed to allow users to customize it for certain tasks through after-market purchased dockable modules. Like what, you ask? Some of the modules we’ve seen include a “how bad are the default speakers” speakers, the “are you admitting that typing with a stupid stylus is an exercise in futility” full-QWERTY keypad and our personal favorite, the “why the hell does that guy need to attach a bulky add-on to his phone to get Wi-Fi” Wi-Fi antenna. Get the feeling that it’s in your best interest to save up a little longer and get a Dare?

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The upcoming LG VX9600 Versa will ship with a modular physical QWERTY keyboard – yes, we all know this. The presence of a “soft” keyboard however, has been questioned by many. Thankfully, a newly leaked image and information posted on Howard Forums will serve to put that debate to rest. According to HoFo user Snap315, the Versa will feature an on-screen keyboard that will be present in the browser, notepad, for texting and other applications much like the Dare. The on-screen keyboard appears to be an improvement over the Dare’s keyboard though, and features directional arrows, dedicated “.com”, “@”, comma and period buttons as well as colored keys to indicate non-letter keys like the “Clear”, “Done” and “Shift” buttons. From the looks of things, Versa keyboard will also retain the “pop-up” letters (while typing) that were present on the Dare and made popular by the iPhone. So there you have it folks – with the Versa sporting both an improved on-screen keyboard and a detachable physical QWERTY keyboard, it looks like you can have your cake and eat it, too.

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