Local computer maker Asustek Computer Inc (
The company's low-cost laptop computer has received a warm response since its launch late last month, resulting in insufficient supply, an Asustek official said yesterday.
"In Hong Kong, limited supply has caused price hikes," said Kevin Lin (
Lin attributed the insufficient supply of Eee PCs to a shortage of 7-inch liquid-crystal-display panels, batteries and wireless chipsets.
The popularity of Asustek's Eee PC has led rivals, such as Acer Inc, the world's No.4 computer vendor, to speed up the development of similar products.
At home, sales of Eee PCs are expected to grow 60 percent to 40,000 units next month, up from 25,000 units in the first month following its debut, said Jose Liao (
The 60 percent increase in sales predicted next month includes the boost expected to come from the nation's annual electronics fair, or IT Month, in Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung that targets mainly local consumers, he said.
"We hope to sell as many as we have ... Insufficient supply has limited sales," Liao said.
By the end of this year, the Taiwanese computer company is looking to sell more than 350,000 Eee PCs worldwide and top 5 million units next year.
Asustek is expected to ship 8 million own-brand notebook computers next year, CLSA Ltd (
Without counting the new category notebook computers, such as the Eee PC, shipments of notebooks are expected to grow by 25 percent annually to around 118 million units next year, up from 94.3 million this year, Taipei-based market researcher Market Intelligence Center (
Asustek also expected branded notebook computer sales during IT Month to increase 30 percent to more than 30,000 units from last year's 24,000 units, excluding Eee PCs, Lin said.
"The sales will certainly boost Asustek's December revenues, but we see it more as a benchmark of consumer confidence," Lin said.
Asustek, the nation's biggest notebook computer brand, is looking to expand its local market share by up to 40 percent next year from its current 34 percent to 35 percent share, widening the gap with Acer, Liao said.
Asustek shares fell 1.89 percent to NT$98.60 yesterday.
Intel Corp chief executive officer Lip-Bu Tan (陳立武) is expected to meet with Taiwanese suppliers next month in conjunction with the opening of the Computex Taipei trade show, supply chain sources said on Monday. The visit, the first for Tan to Taiwan since assuming his new post last month, would be aimed at enhancing Intel’s ties with suppliers in Taiwan as he attempts to help turn around the struggling US chipmaker, the sources said. Tan is to hold a banquet to celebrate Intel’s 40-year presence in Taiwan before Computex opens on May 20 and invite dozens of Taiwanese suppliers to exchange views
Application-specific integrated circuit designer Faraday Technology Corp (智原) yesterday said that although revenue this quarter would decline 30 percent from last quarter, it retained its full-year forecast of revenue growth of 100 percent. The company attributed the quarterly drop to a slowdown in customers’ production of chips using Faraday’s advanced packaging technology. The company is still confident about its revenue growth this year, given its strong “design-win” — or the projects it won to help customers design their chips, Faraday president Steve Wang (王國雍) told an online earnings conference. “The design-win this year is better than we expected. We believe we will win
Chizuko Kimura has become the first female sushi chef in the world to win a Michelin star, fulfilling a promise she made to her dying husband to continue his legacy. The 54-year-old Japanese chef regained the Michelin star her late husband, Shunei Kimura, won three years ago for their Sushi Shunei restaurant in Paris. For Shunei Kimura, the star was a dream come true. However, the joy was short-lived. He died from cancer just three months later in June 2022. He was 65. The following year, the restaurant in the heart of Montmartre lost its star rating. Chizuko Kimura insisted that the new star is still down
While China’s leaders use their economic and political might to fight US President Donald Trump’s trade war “to the end,” its army of social media soldiers are embarking on a more humorous campaign online. Trump’s tariff blitz has seen Washington and Beijing impose eye-watering duties on imports from the other, fanning a standoff between the economic superpowers that has sparked global recession fears and sent markets into a tailspin. Trump says his policy is a response to years of being “ripped off” by other countries and aims to bring manufacturing to the US, forcing companies to employ US workers. However, China’s online warriors
RSS