Computer companies will launch notebook PCs running on Intel Corp's latest Centrino 2 platform at the five-day Taipei Computer Applications Show beginning next Thursday in a bid to spur demand, Lenovo Technology BV’s Taiwan branch said by telephone yesterday.
The show is the largest local consumer electronics exhibition during summer and is viewed as a test of the economic climate for the information technology sector in the second half of the year.
The launch of Intel’s new platform will benefit consumers who are looking for better deals, as computer companies have said they will slash prices of notebook PCs running on Intel’s Santa Rosa platform by between NT$3,000 (US$98.80) and NT$4,000.
Lenovo Group Ltd (聯想集團) is expected to offer a larger discount for entry-level notebook PCs, said Bruce Shen (沈汝康), a public relations officer and channel marketing manager at the company’s Taiwan branch.
Lenovo will launch the IdeaPad series that runs on Intel’s Santa Rosa platform with a price below NT$20,000 at the show, he said.
Shen said the new models running on the Centrino 2 platform would not be able to replace the Santa Rosa platform until the end of this year because of inadequate supply.
Mini notebooks are likely to be another highlight of this year’s show, the show’s organizers said. Acer Inc will launch its Acer Aspire One mini notebook model at a price of NT$16,800.
The trade show will run from next Thursday through Aug. 4 at Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall I.
Shares of contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) came under pressure yesterday after a report that Apple Inc is looking to shift some orders from the Taiwanese company to Intel Corp. TSMC shares fell NT$55, or 2.4 percent, to close at NT$2,235 on the local main board, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed. Despite the losses, TSMC is expected to continue to benefit from sound fundamentals, as it maintains a lead over its peers in high-end process development, analysts said. “The selling was a knee-jerk reaction to an Intel-Apple report over the weekend,” Mega International Investment Services Corp (兆豐國際投顧) analyst Alex Huang
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