Gigabyte Technology has join the growing list of companies to jump on the low-cost PC bandwagon with plans to launch its contender for the market in June, company vice president Richard Ma, has revealed.
The low-cost PC will support Intel's Basic Platform and feature a panel size of 7- to 9-inch, Ma detailed. Prior to the launch of the low-cost PC, Ma updated that Gigabyte will roll out Menlow-based mobile Internet device (MID) and ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) products in April. Having its presence in notebooks and portable devices strengthened, Ma said Gigabyte is likely to see its notebook business unit swing to profit in 2008.
Regarding corresponding production partners, Ma said Gigabyte will design and manufacture the low-cost PC itself. Arima Computer will be the OEM for UMPC production and Compal Electronics and Quanta Computer will remain as notebook OEMs, he detailed.
While component shortages previously affected notebook production, Ma indicated that supply for 7- to 9-inch panels is satisfactory, although a shortage of 14- and 15-inch panels is expected this year. Gigabyte is well-prepared in regards to its notebook component inventory and the company is confident that its shipments will not be affected, he stressed.
While planning strong deployment in the notebook segment this year, Ma noted that demand for desktop PCs is still growing, though the magnitude of growth is weaker than that of notebooks. In light of the stable desktop PC growth, Ma said motherboard and graphics cards should see solid demand over the coming three years. For Gigabyte itself, shipments of motherboard and graphics cards should grow by 10% on year in 2008, he added.
Article translated by Esther Lam
