Brand notebook vendors are generally optimistic about their shipment prospects for 2022, whereas concerns have been raised among ODMs and other suppliers about whether notebook shipments will remain robust next year, according to industry sources.
Global notebook shipments are expected to grow 10-15% on year in 2021 as the lingering pandemic has prolonged demand from stay-at-home activities, but the growth could be higher if not for component shortages.
Slipping Chromebook shipments in the second half and component shortages have both undermined notebooks' shipment momentum in 2021.
With the pandemic being gradually contained, demand from the consumer and education segments is also expected to weaken every quarter in 2022.
Brand vendors including Dell, Lenovo, Acer and Asustek Computer have all expressed optimism about PC demand in 2022, thanks to the stay-at-home economy and the replacement trend in the enterprise segment, driven by the release of Windows 11 in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Dell also expects its PC shipments to reach nearly 90 million units in 2022, up from 2020's 56 million units and 2021's 80 million, while Asustek now expects its 2022 PC shipments to remain at over 18 million units in 2022.
Lenovo expects its notebook shipments to arrive at around 59 million units, desktops at 18 million and Chromebooks at 10 million in 2021. In 2022, notebook volumes will pick up to 60 million units and desktops to 24 million, but shipments of Chromebooks will slip to only nine million units.
Article translated by Joseph Tsai
