By Matthew Henry
Texas, USA: Samsung reclaimed the number one position in the worldwide computer monitors market during the third quarter of 2007, according to DisplaySearch, knocking Dell off its pedestal and taking the position as market leader for the first time since 2001.
Samsung claimed 14.4 per cent unit share of the global PC monitor market in the third quarter, compared with Dell’s 13.2 per cent, followed by HP with 10.6 per cent, LG (9.1 per cent) and Acer (7.5 per cent).
Samsung’s return to the number one spot also marks the first time a standalone monitor brand has risen to market leader since Dell’s long reign at the top began in the first quarter of 2002.
DisplaySearch, which revealed the findings in its quarterly desktop monitor shipment and forecast report, said the current market is seeing more consumers upgrading their displays only, rather than buying PC and monitor combinations such as those offered by Dell, which is helping the standalone monitor brands.
"The catalyst for growth in the LCD Monitor market in recent quarters has not been the overall growth in the desktop PC market," said DisplaySearch vice president – market research, Chris Connery.
"Growth in the annual $42 billion desktop display industry has been fueled by a new display replacement cycle. End-users are upgrading their displays not from CRTs to LCDs as they might have begun doing in 2002, but from smaller LCDs to larger and wider LCDs."
According to DisplaySearch, Samsung has continued to focus on large and wide displays which has helped it in the current market, while Dell has not had the right mix of sizes in recent months.