14 DAY TRIAL // Issues of tight supply have been heard of on quite a number of occasions, but it's not every day that Intel is faced with the inability to meet orders. End-users already know that Intel wants its chips to be, if not inside everything, inside as many electronics as possible, which is the main reason for the Santa Clara giant's varied CPU offering. Over the past few months, Intel has even seen a great success when it comes to CPUs, especially those used in netbooks and laptops, but it seems that the company may be suffering from a case of being too good for its own good.
As unlikely as it may sound, a recent report published by Digitimes suggests that Intel is actually faced with a tight supply of notebook processors. Users that are up to speed with developments will recognize those chips as the Core i3, i5 and i7 series.
The report claims that the CPU maker is barely able to meet the orders placed by major clients, with smaller notebook makers having to wait quite a bit before they get a chance to have their order delivered. According to Digitimes' sources, this situation has arisen as a result of Acer's enthusiasm. Apparently, the PC maker is so optimistic about its notebook business that it has placed a volume of orders large enough to strain even Intel's supply.
Acer is planning on focusing on the netbook and notebook market throughout 2010, believing that the tablet market is getting more attention than it's due. This is also the reason why the company doesn't plan on making its own slates, at least not yet. It's more likely that Acer hopes to finally supplant Dell as the world's second greatest PC supplier, considering that it just barely fell short of achieving this goal in 2009.
Whether Intel has any plans to ramp up production of notebook chips has not been stated.