Sources from upstream component makers estimate that Taiwan-based electronics manufacturing service (EMS) provider Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) will ship 3-3.3 million notebooks in the fourth quarter and 4-4.2 million units in the first quarter of 2011.
With the addition of shipments from Foxconn, which currently is the sixth largest notebook maker in Taiwan, Taiwan's top-six notebook makers' combined shipments will have chance to see a positive growth sequentially in the first quarter of 2011; otherwise, the top-five makers' combined shipments are estimated to drop 1.6% from 40.8-40.9 million units in the fourth quarter of 2010 to 40.2-40.5 million units in the first quarter of 2011, the sources noted.
Meanwhile, despite Asustek Computer has expanded its outsourcing to Quanta, Quanta may have chance to see its notebook shipments drop a double-digit percentage in the first quarter of 2011 due to Foxconn successfully grabbing Hewlett-Packard (HP) orders from Quanta, the sources added.
| Taiwan-based top-tier notebook makers' combined shipments, 4Q10-1Q11 (m units) |
| | 4Q10(e) | 1Q11(e) | Q/Q |
| Top-5 makers | 40.8-40.9 | 40.2-40.5 | (1.6-1.7%) |
| Top-6 makers | 43.8-44.2 | 44.8-45.1 | 1-2% |
Source: Upstream component makers, compiled by Digitimes, December 2010