Notebook market a mixed bag in second quarter

The notebook computer market has been on shaky ground in recent years, as more consumers and business users gravitate away from traditional PCs in favor of mobile devices like smartphones and tablet computers. However, there was some reason for hope in the second quarter, as a few notebook makers experienced decent growth.

According to technology news provider DigiTimes, original design manufacturers (ODMs) Quanta Computer and Compal Electronics both experienced sequential growth during the quarter, with their notebook shipments increasing 5 percent and 15 percent, respectively.

Fellow ODMs Wistron and Inventec, however, saw shipments decline during the quarter, indicating the market has still not found solid footing in the midst of the mobile boom. Wistron's shipments dropped 8.2 percent sequentially, DigiTimes reports, while Inventec's shipments were down 11.6 percent.

Several industry observers have asserted that the PC market will show only modest growth in 2012. Research firm IDC predicts the market will grow only 5 percent this year compared to 2011. However, shipments are likely to pick up in 2013 as the Ultrabook™ and Windows® 8 establish themselves in the market. By 2016, according to IDC, PC shipments will reach 528 million units, up from 383 million in 2012.