Global brand motherboard shipments are expected to reach 75 million units in 2013, down slightly from 80 million in 2012, while shipments in China are estimated to fall slightly to about 30 million units, according to sources from the motherboard industry.
Although China's tier-1 to -3 cities are expected to see drops in motherboard shipments in 2013, rising demand from tier-4 to -6 cities have helped offset the declines.
Latin America and Europe are also expected to suffer from shipment drops in 2013. Shipments in Latin America are expected to reach only around eight million motherboards due to decreased demand from Brazil and Argentina. Europe will see its volume drop to about 18 million units because of instability in the Middle East and the weak economic performances of Eastern Europe countries.
As for other regions, motherboard shipments are expected to reach a total of 5.5 million units in ASEAN countries in 2013, North America five million, Japan and Korea together 3.5 million, South Asia - including India - three million, New Zealand and Australia together one million and Taiwan also one million, all flat on year.
In 2014, Asustek Computer and Gigabyte Technology will be aggressively competing for the number-one spot, while Micro-Star International (MSI) may have a chance to return as the global third-largest vendor, surpassing ASRock if ASRock is unable to expand its market share in China.
