Global shipments of built-in and external hard disk drives (HDDs) in the third quarter of 2010 are expected to reach 175 million units, down from the previously estimated volume of 185 million, according to Taiwan-based makers of PC components.

PC vendors have lowered their shipment goals by 5-10% for the third quarter as inventories have piled up due to weaker-than-expected second-quarter sales in Europe, the sources said.

HDD prices decreased by 5% on average in the second quarter, and are expected to remain flat in the third quarter, the sources indicated.