Asustek Computer Inc (華碩電腦), the world’s No. 5 computer maker, yesterday said that revenues for the current quarter would rise between 5 and 10 percent sequentially due to rising demand for conventional notebook computers and motherboards.
The company also told an investor conference yesterday that net income in the second quarter reached NT$3.3 billion (US$103.8 million), reversing a loss of NT$131 million during the same period last year amid the global financial crisis.
During the April-to-June period, revenues expanded 54 percent to NT$75.2 billion, while gross margin climbed to 11.9 percent from 10.7 percent a year earlier.
On a quarterly basis, however, net income plunged 33 percent from the first quarter, while revenues slid 6 percent.
The company attributed the decline to slower demand as the euro’s depreciation affected sales in its largest market.
For the current quarter, the company said shipments of its flagship Eee PC netbook computers could drop 7 percent to 1.4 million units due to fierce competition from Apple Inc’s iPad tablet computers.
Asustek shipped 1.5 million Eee PCs in the second quarter and 1.6 million in the first.
However, shipments of conventional notebooks — excluding Eee PCs — are expected to rise to 2.7 million units in the third quarter, compared with 2.4 million in the second quarter and 2.5 million in the first quarter, it said.
Motherboard shipments are also forecast to rise to 5.2 million in the current quarter, from 4.5 million in the second quarter and 5.8 million in the first quarter, the company said.
In the second quarter, notebooks took up 55 percent of total sales, up from 43 percent a year ago, while motherboards and graphic cards contributed 15 percent — a slide from 23 percent.
Eee PCs accounted for 17 percent of total sales from April to June, down from 21 percent in the same period last year, it said.
The company yesterday also shed light on its first electronic reader.
Originally dubbed “Eee Tablet,” the name may be changed to “Eee Note” to avoid confusion with tablet PCs, company CEO Jerry Shen (沈振來) said.
Asustek’s e-readers, which will make their initial debut in Taiwan, the US and China in late October, will feature an 8.9-inch screen and run on ARM architecture, Marvell chips and Linux operating system.
It will sell for about US$199 to US$299, Shen said.
The e-reader will offer three main features: note scribbling, book reading and Internet browsing. It will have USB ports and Wi-Fi for easy PC connection.
Meanwhile, Asustek toned down its full-year notebook and Eee PC shipment targets, adjusting back to its original forecast of between 16 million and 17 million.
The company revised its shipment target to 18 million in April, but chief financial officer David Chang (張偉明) yesterday said that “18 million is still a possible target depending on the macroeconomy.”
Asustek is set to beef up its presence in the commercial notebook segment, with an eye on emerging markets including the BRIC —Brazil, Russia India and China — and Mexico, Shen said.
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