WASHINGTON: International notebook shipments next year are expected to decline between 5 and 6 percent from this year’s estimated of total 163 million units, with shipments of Taiwan’s Asustek Computer Inc and Acer Inc to fall further than their peers’, the Market Intelligence and Consulting Institute said yesterday.
While the other top four PC vendors’ notebook shipments are expected to be flattish or grow from this year, Asustek’s and Acer’s shipments are to decline annually due to increasing competition and a declining market,” an MIC analyst, who declined to be named, told reporters on the sidelines of a news conference. The analyst said PC vendors Lenovo Group Ltd , HP Inc and Dell Inc are expected to secure the top three positions, but the shipments are forecast to be flattish next year.
Apple Inc is expected to secure the fourth-largest PC vendor position with 5 percent annual growth in notebook shipments on the back of the promising outlook for its 12-inch notebook, the analyst said. The MIC said Asustek would likely retain the fifth position in international notebook shipments next year.
MIC analyst Jane Yeh said that while the international notebook industry would continue to face headwinds next year, 2-in-1 detachable tablet shipments are forecast to increase significantly from this year.
International shipments of 2-in-1 detachable tablets are expected to jump 42.85 percent to 20 million units next year from this year’s estimated 14 million units, MIC senior manager Charles Chou said. Chou said the strong growth in 2-in-1 detachable tablet products would likely come from commercial and productivity use rather than from the consumer electronics market.
The average cost for high-end commercial 2-in-1 tablet products is now similar to that of notebook products and they have more applications for commercial use, Chou said, adding that the MIC expects the growing demand for 2-in-1 detachable tablet products could erode demand for notebooks next year.
Yeh said Taiwanese contract notebook makers accounted for 83 percent of international notebook shipments this year and the figure could drop 1 percentage point next year due to increasing production capacity from Chinese manufacturers.
As China’s production capacity has gradually reached its limit, Chinese manufacturers might have a limited impact on Taiwanese notebook makers from next year, the MIC said.
