Normally we hear about manufacturing costs going down over time as processes improve and technology becomes more readily available. That's not the case at the moment for some flat panels, most especially for 17" LCD screens, which saw a slight increase. The average cost for the panel itself rose by $8 to $110, with shorter supplies and greater demand being cited. This will probably impact the cost of LCDs in retail outlets to a marginal degree, though it will probably impact the retailers more than the consumers:
Nevertheless, panel makers indicated that they have to be cautious in their pricing strategy as the price differential between 19-inch widescreen panels, which are priced at US$120-125, and 17-inch panels (following the price increase) is not significant.
The end of summer is a popular time for computer purchases, so shortages and price increases around that time have a bigger impact than at others. $8 may not seem like much to us, but to a company ordering 2000 of them it is.