Tablets have managed to fill a whole in the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) market left by falling demand for TVs and other devices that use the technology. 

According to IHS iSUppli, worldwide LCD shipments for tablet panels so far for the first three quarters of 2013 amounted to 186.6 million units, up 94 percent from 96.2 million during the same three-quarter period last year. While LCD panel shipments for the TV sector were up 4 percent over last year, IHS expects that market to remain nearly unchanged over 2012. 

“Tablets have continued to enjoy high popularity among consumers three years after Apple introduced the first media tablet device in the form of the iPad,” said Ricky Park, senior manager of large-area displays, at IHS. “Since then, tablets have eroded the share of computers in general including notebook PCs, taking down the monitor market as well. This is reflected in the rising demand for tablet panels and the declining prospects for computer-related panels.”

Tablet LCD panel shipments have managed to boost LCD panel shipments for the first three quarters aby 8 percent to 628.3 million units. That’s up from 581.2 million units for the same time last year. 

Sweta Dash, senior director, display research and strategy for IHS, said in a statement that the slowdown in the third quarter has resulted in oversupply, high inventories and continuous panel price reductions throughout 2013, especially in the television segment. 

For example, panel pricing for 39-inch, 40-inch and 42-inch sized televisions dropped from 14 percent to 18 percent from January to September. Meanwhile, 50-inch TV panel pricing declined by 10 percent to 12 percent during that period. 

The findings suggest that lower panel pricing may result in more aggressive holiday and Black Friday TV set prices, as some brands try to boost demand and increase sales before end of the year. Already some of the preliminary prices for Black Friday are showing up to be $178 for 40-inch TVs, $229 for a 50-inch, less than $700 for a 60-inch and under $1,000 for a 70-inch 1080P LED LCD TV.