Micro-Star International Co (微星科技), the nation's No. 3 motherboard maker, is aiming to double its notebook computer shipments to around 400,000 to 500,000 units this year, fueled by strong demand from Europe, company executives said yesterday.
The volumes, which include both brandname and original design manufactured laptops, will represent a considerable increase over last year's 200,000 units, Vincent Lai (
"Demand in the European market is strong and higher incomes there boost the average selling prices of our laptops," Lai said.
Europe is Micro-Star's largest notebook market, accounting for 60 percent of all shipments, while the Americas and the Asian market each account for another 20 percent, he added.
The company shipped nearly 100,000 portable computers in the first quarter, while volumes last month totaled 40,000 units, according to Joseph Hsu (
Second-quarter shipments should be similar to the first, as this is traditionally a slow quarter, he added.
Asustek Computer Inc (華碩電腦), on the other hand, has slashed its target for notebook computer shipments by 17 percent after branded products failed to meet expectations this year, a Chinese-language business daily reported yesterday.
Asustek, the world's largest motherboard maker, now hopes to ship 5 million notebook computers, down from its previous forecast of 6 million, the Economic Daily News said.
This includes 2 million notebook computers assembled for Apple Computer Inc under contract, it added.
In the first quarter, Asustek shipped 509,000 units, accounting for 2.8 percent of the world market, the report said.
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