December 2007 Consumer Monitor Survey, Part 1: What Consumers Want

Abstract

This IDC study examines the wants and needs of consumer PC monitor buyers. The first of two studies based on a survey of 1,129 consumers currently in the market for a new PC monitor, it discusses many of the key motivating factors behind consumer monitor purchases. Questions answered in this document include the following:

• How important is screen size to consumer PC buyers? What about high-definition resolution?
• What percentage of consumers currently own a widescreen PC monitor, and what percentage plan to buy a widescreen model in the next 12 months? What percentage plan to stick with a standard-aspect-ratio LCD?
• Are consumers familiar with terms such as HDMI, DisplayPort, and DRM? Do they care about the interface that comes on their next monitor?
• Do consumers ever consider using their old LCD monitors as secondary televisions?

"Consumers continue to be an increasingly important piece of the monitor industry puzzle. Vendors seeking success in this market must pay close attention to the wants and needs of these increasingly tech-savvy customers." - Tom Mainelli, senior research analyst for IDC' s Displays and Projectors group