According to WitsView’s latest monitor survey, total monitor shipments posted a double-digit decline of 13.9% MoM to 9.995 million units in February 2010. Shipments of top ten SIs also plunged by 23.3% MoM to 10.65 million units in February 2010. The main reason for the decline, apart from fewer working days due to Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday, was the flattish market demand for LCD monitors; therefore, brand vendors were unable to reach their expected shipment targets. WitsView analyst Linda Lin indicated that, without significant demand recovery in 2Q10, first-tier brands have implemented various strategies at this stage to compete for market share, such as offering lower prices, or introducing entry-level models to attract buyers from emerging markets. Faced with the intense price war, second- and third-tier brands are bearing the brunt of the impact, while first-tier brands’ market shares will likely expand. As shortages of labor, component, and working days gradually come to an end, coupled with more working days, as well as some shipments from the end of February deferred till March, WitsView estimates that shipments in March will grow by 18%. However, WitsView maintains its conservative stance regarding the demand for 2Q10, predicting that QoQ shipment will either remain flat or dip slightly.