Monday, July 30, 2007, 10:55 am

Apple ups orders for 20-inch panels ahead of new iMac

By Slash Lane

Demand for 20-inch widescreen LCD panels is on the rise, with trendsetters Apple and Dell opting to include 20-inch screens on some of their new products over more popular-sized displays, according to DigiTimes.

The Taiwanese rumor site notes that Dell recently added a new 20-inch widescreen monitor, the UltraSharp 2007WFP, to its lineup.

Meanwhile, Apple in the coming weeks will take the wraps off its next-generation all-in-one iMac desktops, which will be available exclusively in 20- and 24-inch configurations. With the 17-inch iMac entering retirement, the new 20-inch model is expected to become the company's top-selling desktop.

Currently, sales of 22-inch LCD monitors are said to be better than those for 20-inch widescreen models, as the number of 22-inch LCD monitor suppliers is larger than that of 20-inch. According to DigiTimes, most PC vendors today are bundling 19-inch and 22-inch widescreen displays.

AU Optronics (AUO), LG.Philips LCD and Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT) are all expected to benefit from the Apple and Dell orders, as they are the three major suppliers of 20-inch widescreen panels.

However, DigiTimes cites sources who claim that 22-inch displays will eventually emerge as the next mainstream widescreen display size. Those sources indicated that LG.Philips LCD may soon start cutting 22-inch widescreen panels at its 7.5 generation (7.5G) plant to expand its 22-inch panel output.