"Micro-Star International (MSI) will focus its development of notebook products toward slim and light, while creating more innovative netbook designs in 2009, according to Henry Lu, vice president of products. The company is also considering making Wind an independent brand, Lu added.
MSI shipped a combined total of three million netbooks and notebooks in 2008, half under its own brand and half to OEM customers. Of the branded shipments, notebook and netbooks were split evenly at 750,000 units, Lu noted.
Lu believes 10-inch panels and 120-160GB hard drives will be the mainstream specification for netbooks this year and better keyboard designs will become a major point of demand from consumers. Since price does not play a key role in netbook purchasing decisions, MSI will focus on specifications, industrial design and add-on functions rather than competing on price in the future, said Lu.
Lu admitted that MSI did not perform well in the motherboard and graphics card segments in 2008. The company's largest shipment drop occurred in Europe, while Japan and Austria also saw serious declines.
However, motherboard and graphics cards will still be MSI's major product lines for the next three years, said Lu, adding that he believes the company's motherboard shipments in 2009 will hold level on year, reaching a volume of 16-18 million units."
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