Laptop shipments expected to recover this quarter

DigiTimes Research predicts global laptop sales will see a recovery this quarter. The firm expects sales will grow 11 percent versus the first quarter, which means the on-year decline rate will narrow to 1.2 percent compared to the 4.7 percent contraction reported a quarter earlier.

Strong sales of Apple's MacBooks and the Chromebook segment are responsible for over half of the growth this quarter:

Strong shipments from Apple and Chromebook vendors will contribute over 50% of the second-quarter growth, with MacBook products to register a 40% sequential growth and an over 50% on-year increase. Meanwhile, Chromebook shipments are expected to record a 60% on-quarter growth and a 55% on-year gain in the second quarter.

However, excluding MacBooks and Chromebooks, global notebook shipments in the second quarter will edge up only 5% sequentially, but down 8.7% on a yearly basis.

Powered by the launch of 12-inch MacBook, Apple is expected to ship five million notebooks in the second quarter, enabling it to compete with Dell for the third position in the global notebook ranking. Meanwhile, Lenovo is expected to ramp up its notebook shipments by over one million units in the quarter and maintain its number one position.