Laptop manufacturers cope with slow sales

A shaky Western economy and the recent surge in tablet sales are having an effect on laptop manufacturers in Asia, many of whom have lowered previous sales forecasts for the year.

According to the Times of India, Taiwan's Compal Electronics and Quanta Computer -- two of the largest contract laptop manufacturers in the world -- managed to stay ahead of the curve for some time before recently succumbing to industry trends.

The news provider notes that Compal posted a quarterly loss for the first time ever during the second quarter of 2011. Quanta, meanwhile, also saw profits slip 6 percent from the first quarter to the second, though it did manage to increase profits compared to last year.

"It's still unclear whether we'll see growth in the notebook market or not; we're holding a conservative outlook," says Quanta president C.C. Leung, according to the Times of India.

While laptop manufacturers may have reason to worry, tablets are on the rise and show no signs of slowing. According to technology news provider DigiTimes, tablet component manufacturers expect to see their largest profits to date in September, as demand for mobile technology continues to grow.