14 DAY TRIAL // Santa Clara, California-based Intel is said to have informed its customers that it will no longer accept orders for its Atom Z processors from netbook makers. The world's leading chip maker is said to be preparing to free its inventory of said parts, according to industry sources. Although these are currently rumors, it looks like the company wants to better distinguish the line between netbook processors and MID processors, as it prepares to launch its next-generation MID and netbook platforms, codenamed Moorestown and Pine Trail, respectively.
According to a recent news-article on Digitimes, citing the never-restless industry sources, Intel has told its customers that it will no longer accept orders for its line of Atom Z processors. The company is expected to completely stop the supply of said chips to the netbook market, before the end of this year. The move, according to Digitimes sources, is justified by the chip maker's attempt to better define the line between CPUs targeting netbooks and those that are designed for Mobile Internet Devices. This will allow Intel to better position its products for two of the most active segments in the PC market.
The company will continue to ship the low-power Atom Z processors to those customers that have already ordered the parts. Such companies include names like Acer, ASUSTeK and Micro-Star International, all of which have been present on the netbook market since the early days. It's yet unclear how this move will impact Sony's ultraportable Vaio P, which is probably the most talked-about Atom Z-powered laptop on the market.
Netbook vendors that have built systems using said processor family will have to refresh their product lines with updated configurations of the low-power systems. This is also consistent with current rumors that the Vaio P will be getting a refresh in October.