Barclays Capital cuts forecast for PC shipments

The bank based its optimism on channel inventory restocking afterwards the hard drive shortage is resolved and other catalysts, just as the release of Windows 8 and mid and low-end Ultrabook laptops with an average selling price of US$600.

However, looking at the situation from a longer-term perspective, Yang said it is difficult for Barclays Capital to stay too optimistic on Asian PC companies unless there is a strong economic turnaround, especially because of their lower exposure to the fast-growing cloud computing business, which includes software, IT services, storage and data centers.