Global notebook shipments, excluding detachable models, surged over 10% sequentially to hit a fresh high of 60 million units in fourth-quarter 2020, mainly driven by robust demand for remote work and study amid the worsening pandemic woes, year-end e-commerce promotion campaigns and government subsidies to consumers.
Taiwan's third-quarter 2020 notebook shipments grew 4.3% sequentially and picked up 31.3% on year to arrive at 44.46 million units, a new high since the second quarter of 2012.
According to Digitimes Research's observations, 2020 global tablet shipments will show flat growth from the 2019 level as the COVID-19 pandemic spurs explosive stay-at-home demand. With unfilled demand for tablets gradually satisfied and a high comparison base in 2020, tablet shipments in 2021 will decelerate and drop 10.5% on year.
Notebook shipments are expected to grow over 20% on year in 2020 thanks to demand from stay-at-home activities in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Second-quarter 2020 global tablet shipments amounted to 39.65 million units, surging 60.5% from a quarter ago and 21.4% from a year ago, outperforming expectation.
Global tablet shipments are forecast to climb 45.5% sequentially and 9.9% on year in the second quarter of 2020 thanks to a recovery in the related supply chain's capacity in China and educational tablet orders deferred from the first quarter.
Global notebook shipments in the first quarter of 2020 dropped 27.6% on quarter and 10.9% on year. The yearly decline was the worst for the Taiwan's notebook industry since first-quarter 2016.
Global tablet shipments amounted to 43.23 million units in fourth-quarter 2019 as white-box vendors had excess inventory, causing their shipments for the quarter to weaken, while brand vendors saw the momentum from the third quarter continue into fourth-quarter shipments.
