An NPD DisplaySearch boldly claiming that the industry will ship as many as 2 million Ultra HD (3840 x 2160-pixel) monitors by the end of 2014, is beginning to sound a little more plausible, with display makers pushing for "affordable" Ultra HD monitors in the 28-inch size segment, by mid-2014. By these, we're not referring to cheap, borderline gray market monitors from lesser known Korean manufacturers; but display majors from the same country, such as Samsung and LG. According to Hardware.info, which recently published a review of the Samsung LU28D590D, a 28-inch monitor based on a cheap TN-film panel by Chimei (CMO), that offers Ultra HD resolution; prices of the display could be as low as 600€ or £500, by mid-2014. So if you're planning to ditch the full HD (1920 x 1080) or WUXGA (1920 x 1200) monitor you've been holding on to for the past 5 or so years, wait just a little longer.

Thanks to falling production costs leading to declines in average selling prices (ASPs), shipments of ultra-high-definition (UHD) 4K desktop monitor displays are expected to increase steadily. According to the NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Desktop Monitor Shipment and Forecast Report, even as overall desktop monitor demand falls to 133 million units in 2014, 4K UHD monitor shipments will reach two million units, and by 2017 shipments are forecast to reach approximately 8% of the market. The ASP for 4K monitors is forecast to decline from $1,347 in 2014 to $927 in 2017.

"Increased 4K-class monitor shipment volume will depend on how far and how fast ASPs decline," said Hidetoshi Himuro, director of PC and IT research at NPD DisplaySearch. "Although manufacturers hope toraise prices for 4K-enabled monitors, price competition has already begun."

Ultra-slim PC shipments will grow from 3.4 million in 2011 to 65.0 million by 2015-a quarter of mobile PC shipments-according to the NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report. The mobile PC landscape is transforming from a performance-driven market to a convenience-driven market, where easy access to content and usage are the new preferred characteristics.

This fundamental change in preference is most noticeable in the slowing demand for notebook PCs and the increasing demand for tablet PCs. Tablet PC shipments are expected to exceed notebook PC shipment by 2016. Notebook PC players are responding by adopting the features of tablets that consumers have appreciated the most.

Dell today announced the immediate availability of new displays that combine performance and value to enable customers amazing viewing experiences. The six new displays join Dell's industry-leading portfolio of solutions, which has once again ranked #1 in flat-panel display market share in North Americai, and #2 in flat-panel shipments worldwideii, according to DisplaySearch.

The newest additions to Dell's industry-leading portfolio of displays, the new P and E displays offer customers diverse solutions that help them get the most out of every environment.

Apple shipped nearly 23.4 million mobile PCs in Q4'11, up 128% Y/Y, and over 62.8 million mobile PCs in 2011, up 132% Y/Y, according to preliminary results from the latest NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report. Nearly 80% of Apple's mobile PC shipments were iPads, more than 18.7 million shipped in the quarter, up 156% Y/Y, and 48.4 million units for the year, up 183% Y/Y.

Overall mobile PC shipments grew 12% Q/Q and 44% Y/Y, reaching 88 million units in Q4'11. This was driven by continuing strong demand for tablets. Tablet PC shipment growth was 42% Q/Q and 210% Y/Y, reaching 31.7 million units in Q4'11. Notebook PC shipments were flat Q/Q but up nearly 11% Y/Y, reaching 56.3 million units. As expected, consumer mobile PC adoption was focused on tablets, holding up demand in notebooks.