Citing un-named "industry sources," news and rumor site DigiTimes says Intel has informed customers that it is no longer accepting orders for its Atom Z processors for use in netbooks, as the chip maker looks to clear out remaining inventory. But more than just an inventory dump, Intel apparently is looking to better distinguish between CPUs targeting netbooks and those aimed at the Mobile Internet Device (MID) market.
Intel is expected to completely cut off supply to netbook makers by the end of 2009, but sources say it will still fulfill orders already placed by Acer, Asus, and MSI, all three of which have been players in the netbook market since early on. There’s no mention of Sony and its Atom Z-powered Vaio P, which has been rumored to be getting a refresh in October anyway.
Moving forward, Intel will begin focusing on its next generation netbook (Pine Trail) and MID (Moorestown) platforms, which are slated for a 2009 release.
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