According to research of the Taipei-based Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC) conducted as part of the ITIS project, the Taiwanese notebook PC industry scored strong shipment growth in the fourth quarter of 2009 thanks to strong peak-season demand in North America and Western Europe as well as stable growth in the Asia-Pacific region. Shipments were further driven along by the launch of the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system, although some key components were in short supply in this quarter. Usually, shipment volume would decline in December compared with November. In 2009, however, the scale of decline in December was relatively moderate, mainly owing to the fact that various branded customers had advanced shipments in anticipation of new products equipped with Intel's new Calpella platform in the first quarter of 2010. As a result, some contract manufacturers recorded especially strong shipment performances in the fourth quarter. All told, Taiwanese notebook PC shipment volume reached approximately 34.99 million units in the fourth quarter of 2009, representing year-on-year growth of 15.0%.
ASP (Average Selling Price), though still on the decline in the fourth quarter, did not see the large-scale decrease that was previously expected. According to MIC Industry Analyst Nicole Huang, "the shipments of new products and high value-added models featuring 3D applications, touch pads, and touch panels served to uphold ASP. The decline of ASP was also slowed down by the shortage of some components, including graphics chips, passive components, and ODD pickup heads, as well as the strained supply of glass substrates for use in display panels." In the fourth quarter of 2009, ASP of the Taiwanese notebook PC industry slipped to approximately US$472 from US$485 in the third quarter. The Taiwanese industry's shipment value arrived at around US$16.51 billion in the fourth quarter of 2009, growing 5.8% compared with the previous quarter.
The shipment volume ranking of major manufacturers in the industry did not change in the fourth quarter, and first-tier manufacturers all saw significant shipment growth. Some manufacturers, such as Quanta, Compal, and Wistron, scored strong shipment performances as they benefited from peak-season demand for consumer models among other factors. "A few manufacturers even recorded strong revenue growth as they had landed orders for high-end multimedia models", said Ms. Huang.
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About MIC
Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC), based in Taipei, Taiwan, was founded in 1987. MIC is Taiwan's premier IT industry research and consulting firm providing intelligence, in-depth analysis, and strategic consulting services on global IT product and technology trends, focusing on markets and industries in Asia-Pacific. MIC is part of the Institute for Information Industry. https://mic.iii.org.tw/english
About ITIS
The Industry and Technology Intelligence Services (ITIS) project is managed by the Department of Industrial Technology of Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs. As part of the project, research is conducted in a variety of fields, including the ICT sector. The project serves both the public and private sector.