The booming education procurement season in North America significantly contributed to a 23% month-on-month increase in combined notebook shipments (excluding detachable models) by the global top five brands (excluding Apple) and the top three ODM makers in May 2024.
This, along with the continuous release of new consumer models by brand vendors, resulted in a modest 4% yearly increase, attributed to the high base established in the same month of 2023 when brands cleared out inventory through promotions, according to a DIGITIMES Research study.
Among the top five brands, Lenovo saw nearly a 40% month-on-month increase in May's shipments due to the push of new consumer models and the recovery of the enterprise market. HP's shipments of education devices and AI PCs continued to expand, resulting in a sequential 30% increase in total shipments. Dell, however, saw a decrease in its monthly shipments due to a high base in the previous month.
In May 2024, the overall shipments of the top five notebook brands increased only a single-digit percentage compared to the same period in 2023. This marks the lowest growth in the six months as the aggressive inventory clearance by notebook brands resulted in a high base in 2023.
The combined shipments of the top three ODMs increased by 19% month-on-month in May, with Quanta performing the best due to the peak season for Chromebooks in the education market. The volumes decreased by 8% compared to the same period in 2023, ending a streak of year-on-year growth that had persisted since January 2024.
DIGITIMES Research treats detachable notebook products as tablets. Convertible notebooks with undetachable keyboards are considered notebooks.
