Intel has delayed the next generation “Montevina chipset until mind-July, with a formal launch in mid-August says PC Magazine. “Montevina” is the next-generation Centrino chipset, used in laptops and will include enhanced wireless capabilities with WiMAX and 802.11n.
The new laptop design was originally expected to be launched in a week. Montevina-based notebooks will be known as Intel Centrino 2.
The Centrino 2 “Cantiga” chipset, their integrated Intel graphics chip, is causing other delays. Intel has decided not release a chipset initially with Intel integrated graphics.
“There were two minor issues we found during final testing – one with our integrated graphic chipsets, which we have found a workaround for but need to re-screen our parts, and second around our wireless wi-fi chip, which was a paperwork and certification mistake we made,” said Bill Kircos, a spokesman for Intel, in an email to PC Magazine.
“Both of these led us to establishing a launch date for our mobile processors and discrete chipsets of the week of July 14th, and taking a couple of weeks to get the right readiness and volume for the rest of our components,” Kircos added. “We’re looking at early August for that.”
The Echo Peak wireless module will support both WiMAX and 802.11n technologies and will be available in prices ranging from US$43-54, depending on specifications. Meanwhile, the Shirley Peak module will support only 802.11n technology with prices between US$19-30.
However, regulatory delays also affected the Montevina chipset, according to Doug Freedman of American Technology Research, who published a report last Friday claiming that the chipset had suffered “hiccups,” as a “mis-step” in the FCC certification process would prevent the chipset from being sold within the U.S. Freedman also claimed that Montevina also suffered from errors within the integrated graphics portion of the chipset.
Freedman also wrote that it was possible that notebooks would ship with older 802.11a/b/g radios, instead of the newer 802.11n technology.
