New laptop-tablet hybrid computers and Chromebook laptops running Google Inc’s operating system are set to take center stage at the annual Computex technology fair next week in Taipei, CIMB Securities Ltd (聯昌證券) said in a research note yesterday.
The two-in-one hybrid devices and the Chromebooks are attracting attention because of Microsoft Corp’s decision to lower the licensing fees for its Windows operating system for partner manufacturers and Google’s intention to penetrate the PC segment, Taipei-based CIMB analysts Wang Wanli (王萬里) and Felix Pan (潘俊宏) said in the note.
The new notebooks are likely to become new growth drivers in the PC sector in the second half of the year, amid weakening corporate PC replacement demand due to Microsoft ending its support for the Windows XP operating system, they said.
“After Microsoft’s Windows licensing-fee cut, average selling prices for the two-in-one hybrid notebook (US$350) and Android tablets (US$250) with a keyboard are about the same. This makes the hybrid notebook more competitive,” Wang and Pan said. “For consumers who are more familiar with the Windows interface for content creation, it is a good choice.”
The analysts said Chromebooks, which have an average selling price of about US$250, would find adoption in the education and consumer segments in mature markets during the second half this year, thanks to growing support by more top-tier notebook vendors.
“A well-developed broadband environment and cloud services are required to make the best use of a Chromebook,” Wang and Pan said.
Overall, CIMB forecast an increase of 7.3 percent for notebook computer shipments in the second half from the first half, which should be the trough for the sector since 2008. However, for the whole of this year, total notebook shipments would still be 3.7 percent lower than last year, the brokerage said.
Moreover, tablet computer demand may have reached saturation levels and this could be the first year of decline for Apple Inc’s iPad shipments, it said.
CIMB forecast that iPad shipments would drop by an annual rate of 10 percent this year, while Android-based tablet shipments may grow by a weaker 16 percent this year, compared with a 66 percent annual increase last year.
“Right now, only low-end tablets still boast strong sales,” Wang and Pan said. “However, tablet pricing is declining more quickly and not many vendors can make money in this environment of intensified competition.”
Computex Taipei is to take place at the Taipei World Trade Center’s Exhibition Halls 1 and 3, the Nangang Exhibition Hall and the Taipei International Convention Center from Tuesday to Saturday next week.
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