The company plans to offer some of the same features found in the L200P throughout its line of ThinkVision flat panels, which will debut over the course of the year. IBM offers flat-panel displays as large as 22.2 inches. But Mantiply says smaller-sized panels will make up the bulk of flat panels that IBM and others should expect to sell this year. Manufacturers such as IBM as well as analysts predict that 2003 will see an increase in flat-panel adoption as the availability and prices of flat panels remain good. Though 15-inch models make up the bulk of today's market for flat-panel displays, 17-inch models should gain in popularity this year. But, overall, prices aren't expected to fall as quickly during 2003 as they did during 2002 because of tighter manufacturing capacity. IBM sells 15-inch and 17-inch displays, starting at £337 and £389, respectively. And 17-inch panels are gaining in popularity, it finds. Most consumers and businesses currently have 17-inch CRT monitors, but "with a 17-inch flat panel, you're getting more data on the screen in a larger area," Mantiply said. While they are still more expensive, flat panels offer more viewable area than the CRTs they replace. While a flat-panel display is named for the diagonal measurement of its screen, a CRT is named for the diagonal measurement of the bezel that surrounds its screen. Because CRTs typically have a wider bezel, flat panels of the same size offer about one more inch of viewable space. IBM and other companies expect flat panels to gravitate toward the same sizes that are popular with CRTs. Most CRTs sold are 15-inch, 17-inch, 19-inch or 21-inch sizes. As a result, most companies expect that 15-inch, 17-inch and 19-inch flat panels will be the most popular sizes in the market over time.
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