Apple leads in DVI desktop sales, says report

DisplaySearch is a market research and consulting firm that specializes in information related to flat-panel displays. DisplaySearch recently published a new report that studies the growth of the digital visual interface (DVI) market, and the company said that Apple is leading the desktop PC market.

Apple features the Apple Display Connector (ADC) on its Power Mac G4 systems and its line of digital flat panel displays. ADC incorporates DVI along with USB and power on a single cable and connector. Prior to the ADC’s introduction last summer, Apple shipped its Power Mac G4 systems with cards that sported a more conventional DVI connection. DVI interfaces are also available on certain third-party Mac-compatible graphics cards.

DisplaySearch’s Quarterly DVI Shipment and Forecast Report provides information on actual shipments of DVI transmitters, receivers and their applications from the first quarter of 2000 through the first quarter of 2001. The report also forecasts shipments forward on a rolling eight-quarter basis. The report breaks down shipments by region and supplier, and also provides info on near term DVI desktop plans of major desktop PC vendors.

According to DisplaySearch’s research, DVI LCD monitors are expected to grab more than 10 percent of total desktop monitor shipments by the end of the third quarter of this year — 257 percent growth. Until now, the technology has been primarily driven by companies that have positioned DVI as a premium product, but DisplaySearch said that an increase in the number of vendors of discrete DVI components is expected to bring the technology into the mainstream soon.

DisplaySearch also reports that Japan dominated the DVI scene — monitors shipping from Japan accounted for 59 percent of all DVI LCD displays sold. Japan also accounted for 65 percent of the DVI-equipped desktop PC market. DisplaySearch said that NEC, Fujitsu and Sony are all selling significant numbers of DVI-equipped desktop computers.

Regardless, Apple leads the desktop PC market, according to DisplaySearch. The company reports that Apple had a 26 percent share of the DVI desktop PC market for the first quarter of 2001, and preliminary reports suggest that Apple will again lead the market for the second quarter, with a 24 percent share.