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The move is claimed to be a response to Asustek's aim to become the fourth largest notebook vendor worldwide in 2009.

HP recently sent out a notice to its partners demanding they not accept orders from Asustek, and threatening that if anyone violates the demand, the company will penalize the maker by reducing its own outsourcing volume, according to the notebook makers.

However, industry watchers pointed out that since Asustek's annual notebook shipment volume is small, the company will already have trouble outsourcing orders, and there is no need for HP to put pressure on makers. Additionally, the notebook makers were unable to say why Asustek is being targeted, and not, for example, the leading Taiwan-based notebook vendor, Acer, or the current global fourth-ranked vendor, Lenovo.