In the fourth quarter of 2013, shipment volume of the worldwide motherboard industry reached around 39.0 million units, up 6.1% sequentially, mainly due to the replacement demand for desktop PCs in the commercial market. Compared to the third quarter, combined shipment volume share of full system and barebones inched up 2.8 percentage points. The ever-improving hardware specifications have made mid-range and entry-level motherboards satisfactory for most users. Hence, without the launch of new products, the industry's ASP (Average Selling Price) slipped to US$43.8 in the fourth quarter. Overall, the industry's shipment value advanced to around US$1.7 billion, up 5.4% sequentially. Looking ahead to the first quarter of 2014, as some inventories remain left at the distribution channels, a weaker pull-in demand is expected, with the industry's shipment volume falling to 36.2 million units, down 7.3% sequentially.