Taiwan-based LCD TV maker Amtran Technology reportedly will start selling its LED light bulb in North American retailers in April, while related players noted that Amtran is not satisfied with product performance in terms of prices and brightness and hence delay mass production of LED light bulbs to April.

Amtran aims to set the price of its LED light bulb at around US$10, Amtran chairman Alpha Wu noted that the prices for LED light bulbs in the US market are at around US$30-50 as players in the supply chain take their parts for the profit of the products, and Amtran will lower the market prices to below 50% of the current prices through its advantage in the retail channel and work its way through both brand and OEM business.

Market sources expect Amtran's LED light bulb shipments to reach 20 million units in 2011, while LED players think it will be hard for Amtran as the Japan market only reached around 20 million units in 2010 and the market is supported by the government. Hence, revenues of LED lighting will remain a small proportion of Amtran's total revenues in 2011.