14 DAY TRIAL // One would think that the Microsoft Windows 8 Operating System, and the new hardware from Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, would encourage sales of PCs more than ever.
It turns out that if these three factors did have a positive effect on the demand for mobile personal computers, it was negated by other things.
Either that or they had no effect at all, which is really more likely. After all, most of the relevant hardware came out last month (June 2013), so there wasn't much time to affect sales for the second quarter of the year.
Basically, notebook sales were rather weak in Q2 2013, as demand wasn't up to scratch, even with the slow season gone.
And with sales dropping, analysts and companies alike are trying to figure out ways to stop it from getting any worse.
Fortunately, they'll get a reprieve in the July-September period, assuming Digitimes Research has its facts straight.
According to its studies, global shipments will grow by 4.8% in the third quarter. As such, for the whole second quarter, shipments on-year will still fall, but not as much as before.
That means that even if Q4 ends up being the one with a positive shipment progression, it will still have to make up for too much damage to change the overall outcome, as the overall change for the second half of the year will still be negative: a 6-7% drop.
For the whole year, the decline will be of 10.8%, higher than previously estimated. It all makes the 12 months look like a puzzle made with pieces from different sets.
Apple and HP will increase their orders between July and December, and Lenovo should have a particularly high success as soon as it branches out fully (it has fully stepped beyond China by now).