Shipments of the four major Taiwanese contract notebook computer makers are expected to rise about 20 percent this month from a month earlier on the back of the launch of Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system, market analysts said on Saturday.
Since the Windows 8 operating system will make its debut on Oct. 26, international notebook computer brands are likely to issue large orders to the four contract manufacturers in the supply chain this week for the launch of their new models equipped with the system, they said.
In addition to the effect of the Windows 8 debut, the inventory level of the notebook computer industry has hit a recent low to lift demand after recent efforts in adjustments, they added.
The four major contract notebook computers in Taiwan are Quanta Computer Inc (廣達電腦), Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶電腦), Wistron Corp (緯創) and Inventec Corp (英業達).
Significant growth in shipments from the four is expected to continue next month, the analysts said.
Quanta, the world’s largest notebook computer ODM services provider, said there are signs of a recovery in shipments this month due to the planned launch of new models and a subsequent shift from stagnated demand seen over the previous two months.
The company said it expects shipments for this month to reach at least 5.2 million units, up more than 20 percent from last month, to push the third quarter shipments to an amount close to the second-quarter level of 13.90 million units.
Quanta’s shipments in July and last month totaled 4.5 million units and 4.2 million respectively, the company said.
Market analysts said although Quanta’s shipments for the third quarter could stay little changed from the second quarter, a rise in product prices is expected to boost the company’s sales for the period from July to this month by between 15 percent and 20 percent from a quarter earlier.
In the second quarter, Quanta posted NT$237.52 billion in sales, up 0.5 percent from the first quarter.
Wistron said a recovery in shipments for this month is expected to help the company boost the total for the third quarter to a level similar to the second quarter’s 7.8 million units or slightly higher.
The company said shipment growth for next month is likely to become more obvious when consumers resume buying after the launch of new Windows 8 models.
However, market sentiment toward the entire fourth quarter remains cautious with many analysts watching closely whether the effect of the new Windows 8 models will keep stirring up buying interest amid the weakness of the world’s economic fundamentals.
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