Despite having placed increased orders for August, notebook vendors are still under pressure to reduce their shipment forecasts for the third quarter as consumer demand remains weak, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.
The sources pointed out that the increased orders in August were mostly new models that are set for launch in September and models for refilling inventories. As more new smartphones and tablets as well as new game consoles are ready to be released in the second half, demand for notebooks is expected to become even weaker.
Although notebook ODMs have estimated their shipments will continue growing in September and October, most upstream component suppliers still remain conservative about the notebook industry's performance, and are placing most of their resources on mobile device-related product lines, the sources said.
With weak third-quarter sales, the suppliers are also pessimistic about the notebook industry in the fourth quarter as consumers are unwilling to replace their produc
Source: DigiTimes
