Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) expects its own-brand motherboard sales to remain flat at 7 to 8 million units during 2009, but foresees significant growth next year, according to VP of ECS' channel business, David Chien. The company will expand its mid-range and high-end product lines, and plans for a growth of 20%, with a total of 8.4 to 9.6 million shipments.
With OEM motherboards included, ECS plans to move 17.5 million units in 2009, down 17% from 21 million in 2008. The loss is mostly attributed to stiff competition from rival motherboard makers like Foxconn and ASRock. The company noted that about 80% of the motherboards sold this year were Intel-based, while the remaining 20% were for AMD platforms.
Earlier this year, ECS set a goal to ship four million notebooks in 2009, but with sales for the first three quarters totaling less than 2.5 million units, the company may not meet its target.