14 DAY TRIAL // The first half of 2009 proved rather disadvantageous for Micro-Star International, after its notebook shipments were seriously impacted by inventory issues. However, after an “aggressive catch-up in the second half,” the company managed not only to make up for the low shipments, but even score profits. Now, MSI predicts that its 2010 notebook shipments will increase by 50% on-year.
According to Digitimes, MSI Chairman Joseph Hsu not only believes that these shipments will increase by half, but that even the marketing performance of all-in-one personal computers will exceed that of 2009 by 50% to 100%. This optimism comes after the company even scored, in 2009, branded notebook shipments that were higher than those in 2008, even despite the inventory difficulties of last year's first two quarters.
MSI shipped between 200,000 and 300,000 all-in-one PCs worldwide during 2009. At present, the company's notebook and all-in-one PC shipment ratio in Taiwan is 4:1, with education being the market with the strongest demand for AIO systems.
The company aims to achieve the 50% increase by offering more notebook models with different specifications, so as to cover the individual needs of a broader range of customers. Hsu noted that no problems should arise in the component sourcing area, as related component purchasing is not expected to differ by much. Nevertheless, the MSI chairman does believe that shortages of components such as hard drives, panels, graphics processing units (GPUs) and DRAM might impact on the PC shipment schedule and pricing plans.
In tune with these predictions, Micro-Star International used the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show as an opportunity to showcase a 3D all-in-one PC and a dual-screen e-book reader. Nevertheless, MSI will not launch any e-readers in the near future because, according to Hsu, content availability is the most important in this area.
The company intends to soon release a 3D notebook, priced at about US$1,000.