Shipments of tablets to be affected by component shortages

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

The global supply chain for tablet PCs is expected to brace for acute shortage of parts and components, including memory chips, gyroscopes, capacitors, chip-resistors, cover glass and even bismaleimide-triazine (BT) resin, which will seriously affect shipments of  tablets, according to sources at Taiwan notebook makers.

The market had originally expected the tight supply of components and key materials caused by the Japan earthquake will ease in May. Contrary to the expectations, the crisis of the possible interruption of the supply chain now is likely to emerge in the second half of May, indicated the sources.

Supplies of gyroscopes from STMicroelectronics and AKM, high-end capacitors and resistors from Japan-based makers, BT resin for IC substrate production and other types of chemicals all will fall short of demand, the sources added.

Affected by the component shortages, a number of makers have reduced their shipments of tablet PCs, said the sources, noting that combined tablet shipments from first-tier notebook vendors could be less than five million units in 2011.

Actual sales volumes for the Galaxy Tab from Samsung Electronics, the Eee Pad Transfomer from Asustek Computer and even the Xoom from Motorola Mobility could have been lower than the target amounts or reported figures, the sources commented.