Atom shortage hitting low-cost laptop shipments

FAR EASTERN MAKERS of small flat panels are claiming that a shortage of Intel Atom chips is holding up production.

Shipments of notebook and mobile Internet devices (Mids) are being held up because manufacturers can't get enough Atom processors to bung in the 7- to 10-inch models, "sources" complained to Digitimes.

A Taiwanese mobo maker told the INQ at Computex in June that Intel had misjudged demand for the wee chips and would not catch up in Q3. Intel said as much in a conference call last month.

Intel Ultra Mobility Group chief Anand Chandrasekher had told the INQ just the day before that he "saw no shortage". But he may have been looking in the wrong direction.

You can see a cobbled-together clip of the exchanges on Youtube, here.

Observers have scratched their heads over the apparent Atomic drought. " These things are tiddly," said one who shall remain nameless. "They should be able to churn them out by the truck-load."

Meanwhile Taiwanese panel makers are stocked up to the back teeth with 7- to 10-inch screens but have no computers to stick them on.

Production is being hit by shortages of processors and batteries, Digitimes' sources said. µ

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