In the fourth quarter - traditionally a peak period - the worldwide motherboard industry failed to live up to expectations, owing to sluggish demand from end-consumers and a relatively fast desktop PC replacement by notebook PCs. This was a continuation of a trend in the fourth quarter of 2006, when the decline in shipments was mainly due to shortages of CPU (Central Processing Unit) in the clone market and the wait-and-see attitude of consumers towards Vista. Worldwide motherboard industry shipment volume is estimated at 41.40 million units in the fourth quarter of 2007, up 1.6% sequentially, with growth momentum slowing down.