Taipei, Oct. 31, 2012 (CENS)--Asustek Computer Inc. scored record quarterly after-tax net income of NT$6.7 billion (US$231 million at US$1: NT$29), or NT$8.92 per share, in the third quarter, surging 39% from the second quarter, according to company sources.
The quarterly earnings helped swell the company's after-tax net income to a better-than-expected level of NT$21.97 per share for the Jan.-Sept. period.
In addition to after-tax net income, the company's consolidated revenue from brand name operation, net operating income, and pre-tax earnings all hit new highs in the third quarter. The company's chief executive officer (CEO), Jerry Shen, ascribed the brilliant results mostly to the company's market share gains and incomes from non-core business.
The company announced the results yesterday at an institutional investors conference. It estimated its shipments of laptop computers and tablet PCs to increase 10% and 13%, respectively, this quarter from last quarter. Citing the shipment surge forecasts, industry executives estimated the company's revenue for this quarter to rise 5-10% from last quarter.
For next year, the company has set ambitious goals: Winning No.1 position in global touch-screen laptop sector, seizing No.2 spot in tablet PC segment worldwide, and unseating HP as the world's No.2 PC maker.
Riding on sizzling sales of Google Nexus 7 tablets, Asustek shipped 2.3 million tablet PCs in the third quarter, spiking 187% from the pervious quarter. Shen estimated the company to ship 2.6 million tablet PCs this quarter, increasing 13% sequentially.
With the brisk shipments, the company is projected to deliver 6.3 million tablet PCs by the end of this year, more than double the shipment goal of 3 million systems set early this year and 3.5 times the number it shipped last year.
Asustek executives estimated its tablet PC shipments to top 10 million systems for next year in anticipation of persistent sales boom in its Google Nexus 7s. The company has vowed to be the No.1 supplier of Android-based tablets and the No.3 supplier of tablets running on Windows 8 OS worldwide.
Shen estimated the company's shipments of touch-screen laptop computers will further increase to 50% of its total laptop shipments next year from current 20%. In the fourth quarter, the company will ship one million touch-screen laptops
(by Ken Liu)
