Bank of America Merrill Lynch has cut its forecast for global PC shipments this year, citing weakening demand.
Global PC shipments are estimated to drop 9 percent to 317.8 million units this year, well below the bank’s earlier forecast of a 4 percent decrease, Merrill Lynch analyst Robert Cheng (鄭勝榮) said in a research note on Friday.
“Overall, we do not expect any strong catalysts in 2013,” Cheng said.
The revised forecast came on the heels of a preliminary report by research firm International Data Corp (IDC), which estimated a 13 percent quarterly drop in worldwide PC shipments for the first quarter and a 14 percent year-on-year decrease.
The data indicated the worst year-on-year contraction since IDC began tracking the PC market quarterly in 1994. It was also the fourth consecutive quarter in which PC shipments registered a year-on-year decline.
Among the world’s top five contract notebook makers, Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) and Pegatron Corp (和碩) had the lowest shipments in the first quarter, while Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶) outperformed the others on orders from Dell Inc, Cheng said.
Taiwanese computer brands Acer Inc (宏碁) and Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) met their own projections for first quarter shipments, thanks to improved momentum in their tablet sales, he said.
Meanwhile, Cheng said certain electronics manufacturing services companies, such as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海) and Pegatron, would show improved sales in the second half of the year because of their wider customer bases.
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