Intel pricing Huron River out of the game as Calpalla stocks won't shift?

Intel is actively discouraging sales of its new Huron River chips, according to sources at notebook manufacturers, despite machines based on the new processors expected in early Q1 2011. DigiTimes sources claim that ASUS, HP, Dell and Acer will all continue to push existing Calpella-based notebooks for the next three months, as Intel reduce Huron River discounts in an attempt to clear sixth-gen Centrino chip stock.

The sources blame underwhelming demand for recent Centrino notebooks for Intel's excess stock, with the company apparently hoping that shifting the discounts it offers big-name vendors will help burn up some of the remaining chips. Huron River will be the seventh-gen Centrino platform, pairing 32nm Sandy Bridge low-voltage and ultra-low-voltage CPUs with Cougar Point chipsets, along with integrated WiMAX support.