Taiwan's notebook PC shipment estimated at 35 M. units for 2004

Taipei, Dec. 10, 2003 (CENS)--Taiwan's shipment of notebook personal computers is expected to reach 35 million units next year for a global market share of 70%, up from this year's 60%, according to market observers.

Due to the hot sales of notebook PCs in the fourth quarter of this year, the International Data Corp. (IDC) raised its prediction on the global sales volume of notebook PCs for 2004 to 50 million units from 43 million predicted earlier. Notebook PCs have obviously replaced desktop PCs as the best seller in the world market in the final quarter of the year

The global sales volume of notebook PCs amounted to around 30 million units in 2002, and IDC forecast the sales volume for this year to grow 20% to 36 million units. However, the booming sales in the fourth quarter forced IDC to upwardly adjust its sales prediction for this year to 39.7 million units.

With IDC's optimistic forecast, Taiwan's leading notebook PC makers, including Quanta Computer Inc., Compal Electronics Inc., Inventec Corp., Wistron Corp., and Asustek Computer Inc., have reportedly expanded their orders to the up-stream parts suppliers. Of the estimated global shipment of 50 million units for 2004, some 70% or 35 million units are expected to be turned out by Taiwan's manufacturers, according to market observers. Quanta and Compal together are expected to take a lion share of 50% or 25 million units of the global market.

However, industry observers pointed out that Dell and Hewlett Packard (HP), the leading notebook PC brands in the world, are still not quite certain about the world's future economic development and both take a conservative attitude toward the market.