The netbook business is booming for sure. Gigabyte is planning to release three 10-inch netbooks in the second quarter of this year, along with a 13.3" notebook. Gigabyte's notebook segment started earning profits in October of 2008, but the sharp drop in demand in November and December caused the company's annual notebook shipments to reach only 125,000 units.
Since the company's netbook products offer higher specifications than those of its competitors, prices are around US$150 higher which limited shipments to only 25,000 units last year, Ma pointed out.
Ma revealed that Gigabyte is currently adjusting its operating strategy and is hiring research and development personnel, despite the poor economy, and hopes notebook and netbook shipments will be maintained or increase slightly this year.
Of the three 10-inch netbooks, two will be designed in-house while the third will be handled by Quanta Computer. All three will be priced starting at US$400, although the company is considering a model priced below US$300 for emerging markets.
