2014 global notebook demand forecast

This Digitimes Research Special Report focuses on global notebook shipment forecasts for 2014, product characteristics and trends, and future developments for Taiwan's ODM industry. Topics such as whether the notebook market will continue to suffer from the impact of tablets and whether products such as touchscreen notebooks and 2-in-1 devices - pushed aggressively by Microsoft, Intel and brand vendors - can attract consumers.

This report also examines how Lenovo's strategy of increasing its in-house notebook production will impact Taiwan's ODM industry and analyzes first-tier brand vendors' outsourcing strategies for 2014.

Although the notebook market has been suffering from shipment declines since 2011, it still maintains a scale above 150 million units each year, and remains a significant device category in the enterprise market. Digitimes Research estimates that global notebook shipments in 2014 will see a lower on-year drop than that of 2013, with new market developments, new product opportunities, and changes in the major players' strategies all playing critical roles in the IT industry's future trends.