With the US suspending the tariff on notebook imports from China until December 15, the pressure on notebook brand vendors pre-stocking extra inventory has been significantly eased, according to Digitimes Research.

The top-5 notebook brands' combined shipments were lower-than-expected in August, going up only 5% on month and 2% on year, as they slowed down inventory build-ups.

Hewlett-Packard's (HP) August shipments picked up 16% on month, a growth only eclipsed by Asustek's 18%, while Lenovo's volumes only rose by 3% on month, Digitimes Research's figures show.

Dell saw revenues slip 9% on month in August due mainly to its weak shipments to the consumer sector, while Acer had an on-month shipment growth of 3% during the period, Digitimes Research noted.

Of the top-3 ODMs, Quanta Computer and Wistron both recorded over 10% on-month increases in August shipments thanks to rising orders from clients, while Compal saw a 1% decline as a result of Dell cutting orders.