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SANTA CLARA, CA – Worldwide TV shipments fell almost 8% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2012, the steepest rate of decline since the second quarter of 2009, says NPD DisplaySearch.

Total TV shipments for the quarter were 51 million units. The biggest contributor to this decline was a slowdown in shipments of LCD TVs, which fell year-over-year for the first time in the history of the category, declining just over 3%, to 43 million units, the research firm says.

FRANKFURT – Germany's printed circuit board sales in March rose 7% sequentially, says ZVEI PCB and Electronic Systems.

Orders were weak year-over-year, however, the firm says.

The book-to-bill ratio reached 0.90, with backlogs well above the long-term average, says ZVEI.

Employee numbers increased slightly this year, but remain 3% below last year, with short-term contracts and temporary staff becoming more standard.

FRAMINGHAM, MA – International Data Corp. has increased its forecast for the worldwide market of media tablets to 107.4 million units for the year, up from a previously forecast 106.1 million units.

IDC also revised upward its 2013 forecast from 137.4 million units to 142.8 million units. By 2016, worldwide shipments should reach 222.1 million units, the firm says.

The research firm also updated its forecast to shift a larger percentage of future units toward iOS and away from Android. IDC now expects iOS to grow its share of the market in 2012 to 62.5%, up from 58.2% in 2011. Meanwhile, Android's share will slip from 38.7% in 2011 to 36.5% in 2012. IDC expects third-place Blackberry to slip from 1.7% to 1%.

IDC significantly lowered its forecast for eReaders in 2012. After a disappointing first quarter, and strong indications that low-priced tablets are significantly impacting demand, IDC now expects 2012 shipments to be stable at around 28 million units, down slightly from the 28.2 million units that shipped in 2011.

DALLAS -- The home security solutions market is expected to reach $34.46 billion by 2017, a CAGR of 9/1% from 2012 to 2017.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – IPC Environment, Health and Safety committee representatives urged the Environmental Protection Agency to discuss regulatory relief for printed board manufacturing.

Uncertainty around the implementation of the 2008 Definition of Solid Waste rule, combined with the limitations of the EPA’s 2011 proposed rule, has inhibited the recycling of wastewater treatment sludges from electroplating operations, says IPC.

IPC representatives urged Suzanne Rudzinski, director of EPA’s Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, to encourage secondary materials recycling in the upcoming revision of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act DSW rule.

“In 2010, US industries landfilled 9.7 million pounds of copper in various byproduct streams,” said EHS Committee Chair Lee Wilmot.

The changes to the DSW rule proposed by the EPA in 2011 would continue to inhibit the recycling of valuable secondary material by imposing unnecessary burdens, according to IPC.

“The US EPA needs to adopt user friendly rules if this landfill-instead-of-recycle result is to change,” added Wilmot.

During the meeting, IPC emphasized the importance of provisions that should be included in a final DSW rule, namely the transfer-based exclusion and remanufacturing exclusion.

OYSTER BAY, NY -- Unit shipments of gaming devices are falling but the longterm outlook is flat, say the latest forecasts.

Market News

Global LCD TV Shipments Fall for the First Time in Q1

German PCB Sales Up 7% in March

IDC Ups Media Tablet Forecast

Home Security Provides Safe Haven for Electronics Suppliers

IPC Meets with EPA on Proposed Changes to DSW Rule

Flat Outlook for Handheld Gaming Device Shipments

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