Touch screen panel market: Capacitive is growing faster than resistive type
Display related market researcher DisplaySearch has reported that total touch screen shipments rose 29% Y/Y in 2009, to 606 million units. Among the technologies, though Resistive type touch panels lead in the market share, capacitance type is growing faster.
"Touch screen penetration has been rapidly increasing in mobile phone, PMP/MP3, portable navigation, and other applications. Over the next several years, touch screens will undergo strong growth in large-size applications such as all-in-one PCs, Mini-note/slate PCs, and education/training," noted Jennifer Colegrove, PhD, Director of Display Technologies at DisplaySearch.
The touch screen market's dynamics are altered by growing shipment of Apple's iPhone and iPod and recently the iPad. Projected capacitive touch technology is found to be more adopted in mobile phones and tablets, DisplaySearch forecasts that projected capacitive will pass resistive touch technology to become the leading touch technology in 2010, measured by revenues.
Figure: Year 2009 touch tcreen technology market share by revenues
Source: DisplaySearch 2010 Touch Panel Market Analysis
There are lots of technology types adopted for sensing touch, which includes surface acoustic, infrared, optical imaging, on-cell, in-cell and digitizer. Resistive is simple and is most popular. DisplaySearch says over 90 companies are manufacturing resistive touch panels in 2010 but the projected capacitive technology has attracted numerous suppliers, 56 companies are supplying projected capacitive in 2010, which is nearly twice as many as last year's 27 suppliers.
Earlier DisplaySearch has forecasted the total touch screen module market will grow to $9 billion by 2015, from $3.6 billion in 2008, with a CAGR of 14%.
