In the second quarter of 2010, the greater Chinese netbook PC industry recorded lackluster shipment performance as market demand went limp affected by the sovereign debt crisis in Europe. The Apple iPad, launched at the start of the second quarter, has also squeezed the consumer spending on netbook PCs. At the same time, branded vendors have turned conservative towards netbook PC shipment and have transferred parts of their orders to manufacturers in other regions, too. Compared with the first quarter, the greater Chinese netbook PC shipment volume dropped about 2.1% to approximately 6.48 million units in the second quarter, which represents a year-on-year growth rate of 19.5%, though.