Asustek 2010 Earnings Signal Notebook Strength

From PC World: Asustek Computer's revenue for 2010 grew 29 percent over the previous year, largely on the strength of traditional laptop computer sales, the world's sixth-largest PC maker said on Friday.

The Taiwanese company hopes tablet PCs, barely a blip in its books last year, will make a bigger mark in 2011, while netbook computers are expected to hold at current sales levels.

Full-year net revenue grew to NT$321.3 billion (US$11 billion) and net income rose 32 percent to NT$16.5 billion.

Netbooks, the lightweight laptops championed in Taiwan over the past two years, accounted for 16 percent of last year's revenue and the heavier but sturdier traditional notebook computers 56 percent, the company said. The bigger devices helped drive 2010 revenue growth, particularly in Asia Pacific, CEO Jerry Shen said.

In future the company plans to target consumers in emerging economies such as Brazil, India and Mexico, after watching China and the Asia-Pacific region do well in 2010. "We hope we can expand those channels to achieve a double-digit growth," CFO David Chang told investors.

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