E Ink nears production of color, touchscreen panels
updated 10:25 am EDT, Thu August 12, 2010
E Ink to bring out color, touchscreen panels
Taiwan's E Ink has built two new e-paper devices that are undergoing testing by their buyers and should be released later this year or early in 2011, company chairman Scott Liu said recently. Each has a touchscreen, but one is capacitive while the other is electromagnetic. The company's color e-paper displays, meanwhile, were purchased by Hanvon, with devices expected to launch this fall.
These color readers will use E Ink's latest Pearl display with a color filter. The panel has better response time and reflection than any before it from the company, and E Ink believes color e-book readers will capture 10 percent of the e-reader market in 2011.
In order to meet demand, E Ink will bump production of its FFS (fringe filed switching) panels to 75 percent of total capacity from 50 at its Korea-based subsidiary, Hydis. This will result in a drop of TFT backpanel production at the facility, but E Ink will purchase these from Chimei Innolux (CMI), which started supplying E Ink in August.
E Ink expects its revenues for the third quarter to increase due to the holiday season, but its gross margin should drop in the third quarter as clients drop their prices. [via DigiTimes]
