Greater China¡¦s Digital Still Camera Output Expected to Hit 80 million Units in 2007 -- China Sourcing Report

Greater China¡¦s Digital Still Camera Output Expected to Hit 80 million Units in 2007 -- China Sourcing Report

November 26, 2007

    HONG KONG, Nov. 26 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are expected to
produce over 80 million digital still cameras in 2007 -- up
27 percent year-on-year, according to Global Sources¡¦
(Nasdaq: GSOL) China Sourcing Report: Digital Still Cameras
( http://www.chinasourcingreports.com/digitalstillcameras
).

    (Logo: http://www.xprn.com/xprn/sa/200708071747.jpg )

    The report shows Greater China accounted for more than
73 percent of global shipments in 2006. It is forecast to
take a greater market share in 2007, as manufacturers gear
up to increase production and exports.

    President of Global Sources¡¦ Electronics Business
Unit, Mark A. Saunderson, said: ¡§The global digital still
camera market is highly competitive, both in terms of
quality and price, with consumers very sensitive to both. 

    ¡§Greater China manufacturers are acutely aware of
this, and are increasingly targeting mid- to higher-end
markets with feature-rich products and competitive pricing.
This trend has weeded out many entry-level companies,
leaving a more robust manufacturing base.¡¨

    Greater China Manufacturers Expected to Expand
Production Capacity in the Next 12 Months

    More than 65 percent of Greater China¡¦s manufacturers
are preparing for an increase in output by expanding
production capacity in the next 12 months, according to the
report. Over half of these companies expect to achieve this
by upgrading existing facilities or investing in new
factories.

    Of digital still cameras manufacturers surveyed:

    -- 44 percent expect to increase capacity by 20 to 50
percent;
    -- 25 percent forecast capacity growth of up to 20
percent; and 
    -- 31 percent intend to retain current capacity.

    The China Sourcing Report also shows these key trends
for digital still camera manufacturers in the months
ahead:

    -- mainstream product features include 5 megapixel
resolution, 2.5in TFT 
       LCDs and slim form factors;
    -- manufacturers intend to upgrade their management
systems to shorten 
       delivery times to export markets; and
    -- rising material costs continues to be one of the
main challenges 
       faced by manufacturers in Greater China.
    
    In-factory Interviews, Detailed Supplier Profiles and
New Digital Still Cameras

    The 59-page China Sourcing Report: Digital Still
Cameras provides proprietary market information from
in-person factory visits to 11 manufacturers and interviews
with 5 more suppliers. The surveys, price trends and supply
forecasts aim to help buyers make better-informed
purchasing decisions.
    
    Specialized Global Sources Websites, Trade Magazines
and Trade Shows 

    China Sourcing Reports (
http://www.chinasourcingreports.com ) are part of Global
Sources¡¦ sourcing and product information services. These
include Global Sources Online (
http://www.globalsources.com ), Global Sources trade
magazines, China Sourcing Fairs (
http://www.chinasourcingfair.com ) and Global Sources
Direct ( http://www.globalsourcesdirect.com ).

    China Sourcing Report: Digital Still Cameras is
available at:
http://www.chinasourcingreports.com/digitalstillcameras . 

    Information about Greater China digital still camera
suppliers and products can be found at
http://www.chinasuppliers.globalsources.com/china-suppliers/Digital-Camera-5.htm
. 

    (Note: If the URL above wraps to a second line, paste
both lines into the browser.)
    
    About Global Sources 

    Global Sources is a leading business-to-business (B2B)
media company and a primary facilitator of two-way trade
with Greater China. The core business is facilitating trade
from Greater China to the world, using a wide range of
English-language media. The other key business segment
facilitates trade from the world to Greater China using
Chinese-language media. 

    The company provides sourcing information to volume
buyers and integrated marketing services to suppliers. It
helps a community of over 647,000 active buyers source more
profitably from complex overseas supply markets. With the
goal of providing the most effective ways possible to
advertise, market and sell, Global Sources enables
suppliers to sell to hard-to-reach buyers in over 230
countries.

    The company offers the most extensive range of media
and export marketing services in the industries it serves.
It delivers information on 2 million products and more than
160,000 suppliers annually through 14 online marketplaces,
13 monthly magazines, over 100 sourcing research reports
and nine specialized trade shows which run 22 times a year
across seven cities. 

    Suppliers receive more than 23 million sales leads
annually from buyers through Global Sources Online
(http://www.globalsources.com) alone.

    Global Sources has been facilitating global trade for
36 years. In mainland China it has over 2,000 team members
in 44 locations, and a community of over 1 million
registered online users and magazine readers for
Chinese-language media.

    Global Sources Press Contact in Asia:
     Camellia So
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

    Global Sources Investor Contact in Asia:
     Eddie Heng
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

    Global Sources Press Contact in U.S.:
     James W.W. Strachan 
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

    Global Sources Investor Contact in U.S.:
     Moriah Shilton & Christiane Pelz
     Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates, Inc.
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]