LG Display plan to take the global number 1 position in the e-reader market by 2012 with the introduction of a flexible, color Electronic Paper Display (EPD) stated the Company yesterday.
Plans are underway to establish a joint venture with iriver, the e-Book leader in Korea for the OEM development, production and sales of e-readers. The agreement is subject to approval by the board of directors.
Under the agreement, the two companies will establish a joint venture named L&I Electronic Technology (Dongguan) Limited in Guangdong Province in China after receiving approval from relevant authorities. LG Display and iriver will each make equity investments of 51% and 49% respectively for initial capital of USD5 million.
Initially production will start at iriver's existing e-reader plant in Dongguan this September with a goal of reaching 1 million units in annual production by 2011. Production may be expanded to include new applications such as e-Textbooks and e-Newspapers. Commercial production of color displays will follow in 2012. LG Display's cutting-edge EPD technology uses nano particles that move by current flow to show images, letters and colors. Customers will have the choice of Original Design Manufacturing (ODM) or Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM).
Dutch company Liquavista already has a prototype color e-reader that supports video and potentially web browsing using their electrowetting technology. They expect first products to be available by the middle of 2011. iRex who are no longer a contender in the market had also hoped to launch their color e-reader mid 2011. Plastic Logic whose Que e-reader will be shipped by the end of the month, is developing a color version although release dates have not been published.
According to latest reports, the e-reader market is expected to reach from an estimated USD350 million in 2009 and double in size annually to hit USD1.2 billion in 2011 and USD1.73 billion in 2015.
For more read Race for color video e-readers} and E-Paper Displays: Markets, Forecasts, Technologies 2010-2020.
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