In the fourth quarter of 2012, the demand for desktop PCs expected to be stimulated by Windows 8 OS models did not live up to expectations. However, the Taiwanese desktop PC industry's shipment volume still managed to grow slightly, thanks to vendors' advanced deployment at the distribution end and the inventory buildups before the Chinese New Year. Meanwhile, due to a narrow price gap between Windows 8 and Windows 7 PCs and the rollout of entry-level models equipped with Intel Ivy Bridge or AMD Trinity processors, the industry's ASP and shipment value both declined in the fourth quarter. Since branded vendors began to stock up inventories earlier than expected and their replenishments after the Chinese New Year will depend on the size of inventory adjustment prior to the launch of Intel's new platform Haswell, it is expected that the industry's shipment volume will have seen a double-digit decline year on year in the first quarter of 2013.