Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) said yesterday its netbook business will see zero or slight growth this year because of a worldwide slowdown in the netbook market.
The company expects to ship between 6 million and 7 million units of its Eee PC netbooks globally this year, taking a 20 percent share of the market and showing little or no growth from the 6 million units recorded last year, Asustek’s general sales manager Kevin Lin (林福能) said.
SHIPMENTS to DECLINE
Meanwhile, netbook shipments are forecast to decline worldwide from 35 million units last year to between 30 million and 35 million units this year.
“Although the netbook market will grow at a moderate pace, we are still looking for growth in the segment that will be driven by our product diversity and expanded channels in emerging countries such as Indonesia and Brazil,” Lin said at a product launch ceremony.
Faced with a challenge from tablet computers, Asustek will make its netbooks more personalized with special designs and cloud storage applications, Lin said.
STABLE SHARE
Total netbook shipments in Taiwan have dropped 17 percent from 450,000 units in 2009 to 375,000 units last year, but Asustek has maintained a stable market share of 40 percent for the past two years, he said.
He said the company expects to ship another 180,000 Eee PCs this year and to take a 40 percent to 50 percent share of the local market, in view of a fact that most PC vendors are turning to tablet devices.
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