Asus expects record laptop sales

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The world's top motherboard maker and the creator of the Eee PC, Asustek Computer, has said its notebook PC shipments could hit a monthly record of 800,000 in October, heading into the important holiday shopping season.

Asustek, which competes with Acer and Dell in the laptop sector, also said it has so far suffered little impact from the global financial crisis, which is starting to erode demand for electronics gadgets in key markets.

"Our feedback from Europe looks optimistic," Asustek president Jerry Shen told reporters at a company event.

"Europe makes up more than half of our sales," he said, adding that notebook shipments reached more than 700,000 units in September.

The figure for October shipments, which does not include sales for Asustek's year-old fast-selling line of low-cost Eee PCs, puts the company on track to sell 6.2 million standard laptops this year, Shen said.

Previously, company executives said that the company expected to ship 6.0-6.6 million notebooks this year.

However, there are some worries in the technology sector that the spreading global financial crisis would crimp demand in major markets such as the United States.

Long a powerhouse for computer motherboards, Asustek has aggressively diversified into notebook PCs and cellphones to boost meagre sub-contracting margins, though it faces stiff competition from top players, such as HP.

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