Samsung expects strong OLED growth

High demand for active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AM-OLED) screens has led Samsung, Verizon Wireless and several other manufacturers to predict a big future for the in-demand technology.

Samsung already said it plans to invest around $2.15 billion into development of a new manufacturing plant that will focus specifically on AM-OLED screens.

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"Demand for high-end displays is very strong and we may continue to fail to meet all customer requirements, even after expanding capacity by seven-fold, until next year," said Lee Woo-Jong, Samsung Mobile Display VP, in a statement to reporters.

Verizon Wireless also disclosed that it has had trouble keeping up with demand for the popular HTC Droid Incredible smartphone -- partly due to the demand for hardware components used in the smartphone.

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Lee boldly predicts smartphone shipments to increase 50 percent this year up to 260 million units shipped, with the number expected to increase up to 600 million units in the next five years.

I fully believe smartphones will drastically increase in the coming years, but Lee's estimated numbers are much higher than previously anticipated.  The South Korean company's $2 billion OLED manufacturing plant is further evidence that OLED is expected to explode in popularity even more so.

Even though OLEDs are having great success in the current market, I still think it's going to take a few years before AM-OLED is able to fully turn the consumer gadget market upside down.  It will still be some time before OLEDs are able to fully replace LCD screens used in smartphones, MP3 players, and other popular consumer gadgets.

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Many phone owners are still content with their older phones, but should become more familiar with OLED after higher exposure, as more devices using the technology appear on the market.

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