Acer Inc (宏碁) yesterday said its notebook computer sales in Taiwan this quarter are likely to grow slightly from the same period of last year, thanks to the market’s warm response to its thin and light notebooks and the launch of new gaming PCs.
“The demand for gaming PCs and thin and light notebooks should be able to help Acer offset the weakness caused by a traditional slow season for consumer electronics goods,” Acer’s Taiwan operations president Dave Lin (林佳璋) told a news conference in Taipei.
Shipments of thin and light notebooks, such as the Swift series, grew 10 percent last year from a year earlier, while gaming PCs saw 30 percent annual growth in revenue in the domestic market, Lin said.
The company plans to launch new products next month to continue the growth momentum, Lin said.
However, the shortage of some key components for notebooks might cause uncertainty in Acer’s operations in Taiwan this quarter and beyond, he said.
For example, the shortage of DRAM chips, NAND flash chips, flat panels and solid-state drives (SSDs) has increased manufacturing costs by between 3 percent and 5 percent since last quarter, Lin said.
CHALLENGES
It is challenging to maintain a smooth supply of notebooks to local retailers and manage inventories amid the shortage, he added.
The shortage in DRAM and NAND flash chips is expected to run through at least the third quarter of this year, while it is unclear when the supply strain on flat panels and SSDs will be relieved, Lin said, citing supply chain information.
Lin said Acer would absorb the rising costs and does not plan to increase its retail prices in the home market.
Acer shares yesterday fell 0.34 percent to NT$14.7 in Taipei trading, underperforming the TAIEX, which gained 0.79 percent.
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