COMPUTEX 2011: Ultra-Thin Shuriken-panel notebooks make their debut.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Notebook models with Shuriken ultra-thin panel technology debuted at Computex 2011 with Taiwan-based Compal Electronics and Acer as well as some of Compal's downstream partners such as Anadem showcasing products at their booths.

The Shuriken panel, developed by Korea-based LG Display, allows a notebook with a 14.1-inch panel to have a chassis size comparable to that of a 13.1-inch model.

With Intel also aiming to reduce its future CPU's power consumption significantly from 35% to 15%, models with strong performance, but ultra-thin shapes will become the new trend for designs in the future. LG is already mass producing its Shuriken panels with Acer the first vendor to adopt such technology into its 14.1-inch product line. The notebooks began shipping from Compal earlier in May.

Acer's Shuriken-based TravelMate enterprise notebook has a significantly reduced panel frame from the typical size of 12mm to only 8mm. However, since panels with Shuriken technology have a higher cost than a standard notebook panel, if a standard notebook panel costs US$30, vendors will need to pay 50% extra to implement Shuriken technology.

Commenting on Shuriken, Compal president Ray Chen, at Computex 2011, pointed out that notebook designs will gradually turn to focus on adding value to the product and Compal had spent a long time on R&D related to shrinking the panel frame size. The advantages of the company's R&D will also help Compal to lead its ODM and EMS competitors in the future, Chen noted.

Currently, most ultra-thin notebook vendors such as Apple are trimming down their panel sizes by adopting open-cell assembly, whereby panel makers only complete the cell part of the LCD module and then ship the unfinished module to backlight unit (BLU) makers or downstream assembly service providers to finish the backend part of LCD module assembly.