14 DAY TRIAL // Despite the fact that it has just released its next generation Core i7 processors, it looks as if Intel, the current number one company in the global consumer processors market, is already planning to update the high-performance processor lineup with the addition of a couple of models, set to be unveiled sometime during Q2 of 2009. The company's plans seem justified, as its competitor AMD is also set to launch its new Phenom CPU lineup, developed on the company's recently released Shanghai server processors, as early as January 2009.
There are no specific details available at this time, but according to xbitlabs, which claims to have had access to documentation revealing Intel's product roadmap, Intel's is already planning to refresh its new flagship model, the Extreme Core i7 965 processor. The chip maker will debut a more powerful solution in the hope of further differentiating itself from its archrival AMD. Also, the Core i7 940 is slated for an update, while upcoming processors are to fill the gap between the company's current 920 and 940 models. All of these will come out with different prices and frequency levels.
In related news, Digitimes reports that leading chip maker claims to have already shipped approximately 100,000 units of its next-generation Core i7 CPUs, codenamed Bloomfield. However, according to sources at motherboard makers, the company is not going to enjoy a high demand for its new products, at least not in the near future. That is because of the global low demand for consumer hardware products, which is believed to affect the market performance of Intel's Core i7 throughout the upcoming year.
The same motherboard makers also believe that some of the upcoming Intel Core i7 processors, which are slated for release in the third quarter of 2009, could potentially ship in higher quantities. That could happen because upcoming processors will be developed for the mainstream market, offering the same Nehalem performance at a more affordable price tag.