TAIPEI (Reuters)-
With the decline in LCD prices, advances in technology and the application of high-growth markets, touchscreen computers may shift from profit margins to mainstream, prompting computer manufacturers to look closely at the industry.
They are interested in the great success of Apple (AAPL. O)
The IPhone triggered a knock-on parade.
Everyone from the industry leader, Nokia NOK1V, turned off their phones.
HTC in Taiwan (2498. TW)
Now doing research on RIM.
This month, the BlackBerry Storm began to hit Apple stores.
Niche can be further improved from Microsoft (MSFT. O)
The company said it plans to support touch screen technology in the Vista operating system\'s successor, Windows 7.
\"These computers are challenging the way we interact with computers,\" said IDC analyst Brian Ma . \".
\"This phenomenon has not really started yet, and we have seen some early beginnings, but it would be very interesting to see what happens.
Touch screen computer using special LCD Display (LCD)
Jennifer coolgrove, an analyst at Display search, said that if the designer finds the app to be more flexible than the keyboard, it could take off quickly.
Non-writingletter-
A basic language like Chinese is a good example.
\"The keyboard is not optimized for Chinese and other East Asian languages,\" she said . \".
\"The test viewers who have to type in Chinese are very easy to accept the touch screen computers they can write on.
This may mean that PC manufacturers may make great progress in this huge market in China.
Touch screen computers have been around for more than a decade, but their high cost and limited capabilities make them inaccessible to the mainstream, limiting them to special devices that restaurants and supermarkets often see.
According to IDC, touch-screen notebooks currently account for less than 1% of Asian notebook shipments.
But recent technological advances, including improved image quality and increased sensitivity to touch, coupled with a decline in LCD prices, are increasing the viability of touch screens.
Most analysts say it is too early to judge whether the touch screen will take off for a personal computer like a mobile phone.
But Asus in Taiwan (2357. TW)
The company has made a big bet on the technology, and the company says it believes that the increasingly popular desktop model that combines traditional PC boxes and displays into one unit may be ideal for touch screens
It says that this model is known in the industry as all-in-
Ultimately, it could account for 40% of the global desktop market.
Hewlett, the world\'s top supplier-Packard (HPQ. N)
When it launched HP TouchSmart last year, it walked out the door for the first time, a high
The final touchscreen PC for graphic users and other complex design programs costs $1,499.
Asus this month threw a hat at the industry to try to make the product more mainstreamin-
Eee Top is a model for home Internet users.
Eee Top is priced at $649, less than half the cost of TouchSmart.
The company aims to ship 5 million Eee tops in two years, equivalent to 40% of its total sales of 2008 units.
The low cost of Asus computers may just be the catalyst needed to attract budgets --
Some analysts say consumers are very concerned about the technology.
Other manufacturers are pouring into the touch screen market, such as smaller brands such as higstec, Transtouch Technology and Wintek 2384.
Taiwan is developing this technology.
Industry watchers say the rapid decline in touch screen prices should accelerate as more products enter the market.
Companies that produce panels have said it is difficult for them to keep up with demand.
\"We can\'t provide enough panels to the market,\" Peter-
Sales and Marketing President of higstec, whose sales have been at 35-
40% per year, the target is to be listed in Taiwan.
To meet demand, the company opened a second production plant earlier this year.
Despite cautious optimism, there are still some skeptics.
Tracy Tsai, an analyst at Gartner, said that once people pass
They can also find other shortcomings by touching --
Screen models like Asus.
\"This Asus computer may not be strong enough for serious users,\" she said . \".
\"The ability to upgrade a computer is also limited because the CPU is built into the display and is not independent.
Either they make it very cheap and some people might find it really unnecessary if it wasn\'t.