Acer, other majors squeezing Intel CPU supply

Intel may be facing a chronic shortage of its primary mobile processors, some in the notebook business said this morning. Acer is said to have been enthusiastic enough about expected demand that it has ordered large batches of Intel's Core i3, i5 and i7 chips, creating problems for others that want the same parts. The orders are such that DigiTimes has heard Intel is prioritizing "major clients" and leaving many mid-size or smaller PC builders with significant wait times to get their own orders.

The orders are likely to focus on Acer's imminent TimelineX series, which promises a thin design closer to an ultraportable but with full-speed processors. As the second-largest computer company, it's also likely to command a high number of orders for its regular Aspire notebooks.

While very large companies like Dell, HP, Lenovo and Toshiba are likely to be secure, it's unclear how much the alleged shortage would affect significant but relatively smaller companies like Apple. It has so far gone nine months without updating its flagship MacBook Pro notebook line and may already have had to push back its launch to get NVIDIA Optimus technology; a processor delay could compound the situation.

By Electronista Staff