Global notebook shipments were up 20.9% sequentially and down only 5.5% on year in the second quarter of 2023, but the volumes are only expected to stay flat in the third quarter and dip a single-digit percentage in the fourth quarter.
The global top-5 notebook brands, not including Apple, saw their combined shipments rise over 30% on month in May, while the top-3 ODMs together also achieved a similar shipment growth thanks to a recovery in North America's and Europe's education sectors and vendors' keen price cuts on older-generation consumer models for clearing up inventory.
The global top-5 notebook brands, not including Apple, saw their combined shipments slip around 30% from a month ago in April because of a high comparison base in March hiked by the brands' robust short-term orders.
First-quarter 2023 global tablet shipments came to only 29.44 million units, declining 17% from the prior quarter and 8% from the prior year as the market entered the traditional slow season; however, with brands' robust short-term orders, the volumes will only drop less than 1% sequentially in the second quarter.
Global notebook shipments performed better than originally expected, shrinking only 9.5% sequentially and less than 35% on year in the first quarter of 2023, and the volumes will grow back 9% sequentially in the second quarter.
The global top-5 notebook brands, not including Apple, saw their combined shipments rise over 10% on month in February 2023 thanks to a low comparison base in January and channel retailers' inventory replenishment.
Global notebook demand remained feeble in January 2023 with the top-5 brands, not including Apple, and the top-3 ODMs all experiencing weak on-month and on-year shipment performances.
Because of the weak economy and consumer confidence, tablet brands will continue to scale back their shipments in the first quarter of 2023 with overall volumes estimated to decrease by 20% from the prior quarter.
Taiwan makers' combined notebook shipments in the fourth quarter of 2022 were weaker than DIGITIMES Research had anticipated, dropping 16% sequentially, slightly higher than that of the global total, and down over 40% on year.
Global tablet shipments reached 38.4 million units in the third quarter of 2022, slightly better than DIGITIMES Research originally anticipated, driven mainly by increased orders from Apple, which saw tablet shipments disrupted by China's COVID-19 lockdowns implemented in cities of the Yangtze Delta, and other brand vendors' keen promotions on tablets.
