Taiwan-based Lite-On IT and BenQ, along with international brands Hitachi-LG Data Storage and Toshiba-Samsung Storage Technology, will be the top-four optical-drive vendors in 2005.

The top-four makers will each have an annual production capacity of 25-45 million optical drives, these makers indicated.

The second tier of optical-drive makers will include Pioneer, NEC, TEAC and two Taiwan-based vendors, Asustek Computer and Quanta Storage, while Ultima Electronics, AOpen, Accesstek and Foxconn, all Taiwan-based companies, will comprise the third tier, the makers noted.

Pioneer and NEC are decreasing their optical-drive production and, along with Sony and Matsushita Electric, shifting their R&D focus to next-generation Blu-Laser technology, the makers added.

From DigiTimes