The site notes overall notebook shipments may decline to 160 million units this year, down around 5 percent year-over-year, and adds that conservative players expect the number may reach only 150 million units, which would be a double-digit decline versus 2014.
After having a weak first half, the sources said that they are still seeing weak orders from brand vendors for the second half as depreciation of non-US currencies and oil price drops have both caused overall consumer purchasing to stay weak. Although many vendors expect Windows 10 to trigger a PC replacement trend after its launch, some are concerned that the free upgrade is unlikely to help prompt consumers to replace their machines.
The sources noted that their brand clients have all been reducing their orders for the second half recently and this could seriously impact the notebook industry's overall performance in the second half.