Broadwell CPU Delay and iPad Competition May Reduce 2014 Notebook Shipments

Industry-wide notebook shipments will continue to decline in 2014, claims NPD DisplaySearch. Revised estimates predict shipments from all vendors, including Apple, will reach 134 million units, down from an earlier estimate of 152 million unit.

macbook-air

One factor contributing to this decline is the expected Q3 2014 launch of Intel's upcoming Broadwell CPU. Intel confirmed in its latest earnings conference call that its Broadwell chipset will enter production in Q1 2014 and become available in the second half of 2014. Slowing PC demand and yield issues forced Intel to delay Broadwell by at least a quarter from its original timetable, with that delay likely contributing further weakness in the PC market. Intel's Haswell processor line, the company's current CPU family and predecessor to Broadwell, was released in June 2013 and landed in the MacBook Air during the same month.

DisplaySearch also cites the rumored 12.9-inch iPad, wearables and the convergence of mobile and desktop operating systems as market forces that could shift consumers away from notebook PCs.

At the same time, the expected launch of a 12.9” iPad from Apple could trigger growth in larger tablet PC screen sizes, leading to even more competition for potential notebook PC buyers. In addition, wearable devices and other new concepts are expected to compete for consumer spending during the holiday season and beyond. Finally, the trend toward user-interface fusion and operating-system integration will offer a more seamless working platform between mobile devices and PCs, which would further extend mobile device advantages for businesses.

Despite a declining market, Mac sales in the just-ending quarter were strong, increasing from 4.06 million units in Q1 2013 to 4.8 million in Q1 2014. Mac net sales accounted for 11% of the company's revenue for the quarter, up slightly from 10% a year ago.

Related Forums: iPad, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
Apple Watch Series 9

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Tuesday July 16, 2024 7:59 am PDT by
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...

Top Rated Comments

pgiguere1 Avatar
137 months ago
DisplaySearch also cites [...] wearables [...] could shift consumers away from notebook PCs.
Really?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RoelJuun Avatar
137 months ago
In the meantime, give the Mac Mini some Haswell love Apple!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nuckinfutz Avatar
137 months ago
Where's my 17" MBP?

Buried next to Apple Lisa in Utah I suppose. :p
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jayayess1190 Avatar
137 months ago
What is coming next, Broadwell or a Haswell refresh? I've heard both, and it's a bit confusing. Hope this doesn't affect possible laptop refreshes at WWDC.

Haswell refresh for desktops and Broadwell for mobile. Though there are also newer mobile Haswell processors with minor spec bumps.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WallToWallMacs Avatar
137 months ago
Really?
Mate, don't be surprised; the Samsung Galaxy Gear has been a monumental failure (they're practically giving it away at this point with phones etc) yet we have moronic analysts claiming that it is the 'future trend'. Honestly, it as though such people create hype about something just so they can manipulate companies and consumers to get interested in something that isn't demanded but it'll allow these muppets to make a quick buck. These analysts are looking for the next big thing but they ignore the fact that the next big thing relies on infrastructure such as high speed broadband being available at a low price and accessible to the vast majority of citizens to allow the next wave of content delivery to occur.

Let me make a prediction: Desktops, Workstations and Laptops will all co-exist with tablets and smartphones as they're complimentary products rather than replacing - the sales are declining not because people are moving on mass to new devices but because the upgrade cycles are longer and when there are examples of replacement it is a cheap laptop being replaced with a tablet thus Apple gains either way - gain on the tablet and gain then gain on the computer sale.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PBG4 Dude Avatar
137 months ago
A reason the new chipset could be delayed is because Intel still needs to monetize the current chipset, and with worldwide PC demand slowing, it's taking longer for intel to do that. It isn't like any other PC CPU manufacturers are holding intel's feet to the fire.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)