Notebook demand expected to be weak in 1Q13

Monica Chen, Taipei; Joseph Tsai, DIGITIMES [Wednesday 19 December 2012]

As sales of Windows 8 notebooks have been short of expectations, and competition from iPad and Android tablets is increasing, the global market for all types of notebooks is expected to be stagnant in the first quarter of 2013, according to Taiwan-based vendors and suppliers.

Since notebook vendors still have high-levels of Windows 7 notebook inventory, most vendors are aggressively offing price cuts. Some Core i5-based notebooks have been priced below US$599.

Some first-tier notebook vendors have even dropped prices for models with Intel's entry-level dual-core processors to below US$399.

Since Windows Vista/XP-based notebooks are already able to satisfy most usage demands, most consumers have prioritized their budgets to smartphones or tablets, delaying their PC replacement needs, the sources analyzed.

Notebook demand to stay weak in 1Q13
Photo: Shihmin Fu, Digitimes file photo