Top contract laptop maker Quanta, has missed its quarterly shipment target by 2 percent, shipping 6.9 million units in Q1 2009.

The outfit was expecting to ship 7.07 million laptops, and while the 2 percent doesn't seem like much, it must be noted that the company lowered its shipment goal by 30 percent compared to Q4 2008. Its revenue has seen double digit falls year-to-year, while its smaller rival, Compal Electronics, has seen a revenue drop of 3 percent in the first two months of 2009.

Quanta is a key supplier for the likes of HP, Dell and Acer, and obviously its performance is dependent on these industry heavyweights. Basically, the recession ate one in three laptops which would have been built by Quanta and sold under one of these brands. The company did not comment the drop, and did not issue an outlook for Q2 either. Analysts are expecting demand to pick up, and Quanta's revenue to grow by about 15 percent on a quarterly basis, as it is starting from a low base.

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