Taiwan's Market Intelligence Center (MIC) projects global shipments of notebook and desktop PCs to reach 55 million and 125.3 million units, respectively, in 2005. These figures are higher by 19.3 percent for notebook PCs and 7.2 percent for desktop PCs over estimated 2004 global shipments.

Gartner Inc. forecasts higher global PC shipments of 199 million units in 2005. The market research firm projects notebook PC shipments to drive market growth, rising by 17.4 percent in 2005. Desktop PC shipments are forecast to grow by 6.1 percent.

These statistics reflect complete systems only. Global shipments of barebone notebook and desktop PCs is largely undocumented.

For notebook PCs, barebone units have traditionally occupied a large percentage of makers' output.

The past few years, however, have seen the percentage of barebone notebook PC shipments fall. In 2002, barebone notebook PCs accounted for 50 percent of total shipments. This decreased to 38.8 percent in 2003.

In 2004, the MIC estimated that only 34.1 percent of Taiwan makers' notebook PC output was barebone units. For small form factor PCs, Gartner estimates output will grow from 1.2 million units in 2003 to 32.1 million units in 2008. By 2008, Gartner expects small form factor PCs to account for 20 percent to 25 percent of total desktop PC shipments.

The MIC estimates that 2.29 million small form factor PCs were produced in 2004, a 38.4-percent year-on-year (YoY) growth. Ninety-five percent of the output of small form factor PCs in Taiwan were delivered as barebone units.

In the absence of industry statistics on barebone PC shipments, data derived from information provided by respondents in this report indicate about 64 percent of global barebone PC shipments came from suppliers in mainland China and Taiwan.

Taiwan is a major manufacturing base for PC-related products. There are an estimated 17 to 20 makers of notebook PCs, 10 makers of desktop PCs, and 10 makers of small form factor PCs. Most makers ship complete PC systems to large OEM and ODM buyers, such as HP, Compaq, IBM, Fujitsu and NEC. All makers also accept barebone orders.

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