LCD monitor shipments jump 800%.

The good news for the computer display industry is that shipments of flat-panel displays have increased 806% over 1998 levels, according to a new report. The bad news for consumers is that high demand for desktop LCD means that fewer displays are around to put in notebooks, which could eventually mean higher laptop prices. DisplaySearch found that shipments of LCD monitors in the first quarter of 1999 jumped 86% over the previous quarter and 806% over the same period a year ago to 850,000 units. "LCD monitors bundled with desktop PCs in Japan are the principal cause of the large growth," said Ross Young, president of DisplaySearch. In Japan, these designs now account for 55% of the total desktop market in units, and 71% in revenue, according to Young_s research. In comparison, only 1.7% of the PCs in the U.S market are sold bundled with LCD monitors, he said, but the figure will inevitably grow.