Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) yesterday reported better-than-expected revenue for the first quarter, attributing the results to a higher notebook computer market share in China and recovering demand in Eastern Europe.
“The growth momentum in notebook shipments was stronger than the company’s forecast,” Asustek spokesman Nick Wu (吳長榮) said.
Asustek shipped 4.9 million notebooks in the first quarter, up 2.03 percent from 4.8 million units a year earlier, while revenue in the first quarter grew 7.7 percent annually to NT$110.05 billion (NT$3.39 billion), Wu said.
The company earlier forecast sales growth for the first quarter to be flat from last year’s NT$102.18 billion.
Wu also attributed the improved revenue to growing demand for Asustek gaming notebooks and ultralight laptops, which have higher average selling prices than regular consumer models.
Even so, last quarter’s revenue was 11 percent lower than the prior quarter’s NT$123.98 billion, due to seasonal factors, the company said.
For this quarter, Asustek notebook shipments are expected to fall by up to 10 percent from last quarter, Wu said, adding that the second quarter is usually the weakest quarter for consumer electronics and notebook products.
He said the company hopes demand from Eastern Europe and Russia continues to improve this quarter, and that foreign exchange rates in emerging markets stabilize, helping to support the market.
Contract notebook makers Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶) and Wistron Corp (緯創) yesterday said notebook shipments for this quarter might improve from last quarter, after both reported double-digit percentage declines in revenue last quarter.
Compal’s revenue plunged 10.92 percent annually and 24.6 percent quarterly to NT$176.64 billion last quarter, the lowest in the past seven quarters.
Wistron also saw its weakest sales in the past six quarters, after revenue plummeted 10.58 percent year-on-year and 22.62 percent quarter-on-quarter to NT$134.69 billion.
Compal forecast its notebook shipments this quarter to be better than last quarter, but said it is difficult to offer a growth estimate due to limited order visibility. Wistron said its laptop shipments might climb by between 5 percent and 10 percent this quarter from last quarter.
Inventec Corp (英業達), which expects flat growth in notebook shipments this quarter, reported a 6.79 percent annual increase in revenue to NT$95.3 billion, driven by its handheld and solar businesses.
The company assembles smartphones for Xiaomi Corp (小米).
Stephen Garrett, a 27-year-old graduate student, always thought he would study in China, but first the country’s restrictive COVID-19 policies made it nearly impossible and now he has other concerns. The cost is one deterrent, but Garrett is more worried about restrictions on academic freedom and the personal risk of being stranded in China. He is not alone. Only about 700 American students are studying at Chinese universities, down from a peak of nearly 25,000 a decade ago, while there are nearly 300,000 Chinese students at US schools. Some young Americans are discouraged from investing their time in China by what they see
MAJOR DROP: CEO Tim Cook, who is visiting Hanoi, pledged the firm was committed to Vietnam after its smartphone shipments declined 9.6% annually in the first quarter Apple Inc yesterday said it would increase spending on suppliers in Vietnam, a key production hub, as CEO Tim Cook arrived in the country for a two-day visit. The iPhone maker announced the news in a statement on its Web site, but gave no details of how much it would spend or where the money would go. Cook is expected to meet programmers, content creators and students during his visit, online newspaper VnExpress reported. The visit comes as US President Joe Biden’s administration seeks to ramp up Vietnam’s role in the global tech supply chain to reduce the US’ dependence on China. Images on
New apartments in Taiwan’s major cities are getting smaller, while old apartments are increasingly occupied by older people, many of whom live alone, government data showed. The phenomenon has to do with sharpening unaffordable property prices and an aging population, property brokers said. Apartments with one bedroom that are two years old or older have gained a noticeable presence in the nation’s six special municipalities as well as Hsinchu county and city in the past five years, Evertrust Rehouse Co (永慶房產集團) found, citing data from the government’s real-price transaction platform. In Taipei, apartments with one bedroom accounted for 19 percent of deals last
US CONSCULTANT: The US Department of Commerce’s Ursula Burns is a rarely seen US government consultant to be put forward to sit on the board, nominated as an independent director Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday nominated 10 candidates for its new board of directors, including Ursula Burns from the US Department of Commerce. It is rare that TSMC has nominated a US government consultant to sit on its board. Burns was nominated as one of seven independent directors. She is vice chair of the department’s Advisory Council on Supply Chain Competitiveness. Burns is to stand for election at TSMC’s annual shareholders’ meeting on June 4 along with the rest of the candidates. TSMC chairman Mark Liu (劉德音) was not on the list after in December last