Intel's Ivy Bridge delayed until June, sources say

Chipmaker Intel® has reportedly started informing its partners that its much-anticipated Ivy Bridge platform will not see mass production until this June -- a decision that could delay the next crop of Ultrabook™ computers.

According to technology news publication DigiTimes, Intel's decision -- which hasn't yet been confirmed by the chipmaker -- may be the result of weak economic conditions and the fact that many notebook vendors are having trouble unloading their Sandy Bridge-based computers as a consequence.

Intel still plans to announce new products that are destined to be based on the Ivy Bridge architecture, DigiTimes reports, and may even ship a limited amount of processors in April. However, mass shipments are not likely to occur before the summer.

As a result of this development, the next line of top-tier Ultrabooks and other PCs based on Ivy Bridge are not likely to hit shelves until after September, DigiTimes reports, possibly coinciding with the launch of Microsoft's Windows® 8 operating system.

Introduced at the Intel Developer Forum in the fall of 2011, the Ivy Bridge architecture is expected to boost graphics performance and extend battery life. A separate DigiTimes report notes that the price of Ultrabooks could drop significantly after Ivy Bridge's launch.