Global notebook shipments will fall 5.3% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2018, according to Digitimes Research, due to high inventories and a reduction in sales of Chromebooks for education.
In terms of specific vendors, market leader HP is expected to retain its position, registering a slight growth. Meanwhile, Lenovo, currently in second place, is likely to be negatively impacted by growing trade tensions between the US and China.
Dell, in third place, will have a stable quarter, while current fourth-place Apple may be usurped by Acer, now in fifth, as its new entry-level MacBook line is not expected to enter production until towards the end of the second quarter.
According to Digitimes Research, global notebook shipments (excluding 2-in-1 detachable models) fell to 34.22 million units in the first quarter of 2018, the second consecutive year-on-year decline for the market.