Demand for notebooks remain weak on eve of Windows 10 launch

TrendForce has revised its current assessments of the monitor and notebook markets this year for the Q2 and Q3 time frame. The general consensus is a gloomy forecast for both markets and the analytics firm has lowered its overall predictions by 1.7 percent as a result. Part of the reason it claims is the weakening Euro and the long-lasting monitors as users are replacing them less frequently.

For Q2 to Q3 2015, demand for monitors may see a slight rise of just 6 percent from 30.1 million to 31.9 million due to favorable clearance sales and promotions. Notebook sales are expected to see a similarly small increase quarter-to-quarter by just a few percentage points. This is a bit disappointing as this time frame includes the launch of Windows 10 and even brand new Intel Broadwell-H and Skylake processors.

Users are now less likely to buy new hardware as existing Windows 7 owners can simply upgrade to Windows 10 for free. Skylake may or may not ramp up laptop sales, but TrendForce is less optimistic and is currently predicting an 8.6 percent increase quarter-to-quarter. According to Gartner, 2-in-1 convertibles and hybrid tablets are expected to grow in popularity from this year forward.

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