Taiwan's notebook sales during the back-to-school season in 2013 may drop 20-30% compared to those in 2012 despite the fact that channel retailers and brand vendors have been aggressively promoting their PC products, according to some channel retailers.
Although channel retailers are offering up to 20% discounts on notebook products, a level similar to those in previous years, and even pushing Core i5-level models at a rather competitive price point, consumers remain passive about purchasing new notebooks.
Consumers have more interest in purchasing mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets and do not care about the new PC platforms, the channel retailers said.
Since brand vendors are mostly still busy digesting their Ivy Bridge inventories, the competition among Haswell-based models may be delayed until early 2014.
The fierce price competition in the retail channel has also impacted sales of notebooks with Intel entry-level/mid-range Haswell processors, as not many retailers are promoting them currently. Channel retailers believe Windows 8.1 is also unlikely to help boost demand much.
