First-tier notebook makers Quanta Computer, Compal Electronics and Wistron expect channel demand during the back-to-school season to be very strong and will push up their shipment performance in the third quarter, according to the makers.
Although Europe's bond crisis impacted shipment performance in April and May, since brand vendors including Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Acer started increasing their notebook orders in June, makers are turning optimistic toward the third quarter.
Quanta noted that the company's order visibility has already reached August and since Quanta has a higher consumer notebook shipment proportion, the company expects its performance in the third quarter, the traditional peak season for consumer PCs, will be excellent, the company noted.
Quanta is expected to see 10-15% sequential shipment growth in the third quarter, according to market watchers.
Although Compal's notebook shipments in both April and May were lower than those of Quanta, company president Ray Chen pointed out that Compal's total notebook shipments in the first half will still be higher than those of Quanta.
Chen also estimates that Compal's notebook shipments will pick up in August and September and help the company's shipments in the third quarter to grow 5-10% sequentially.
Wistron chairman Simon Lin, pointed out that the company's notebook order volume has returned normal in June, from significant drops in both April and May. Lin expects Wistron's notebook shipment will continue climbing in July and assist the company to achieve 10% sequential growth in the third quarter. However, the company internally expects to see 15-20% in the third quarter, according to market watchers.
As for the back-to-school season this year, most of the brand vendors have already decided their promotions. HP plans to push a bundle deal of its Compaq series notebooks with a printer, while several vendors plan to offer buy a notebook and give a netbook away deal, sources from notebook players noted.
Article translated by Joseph Tsai
