10 million ultra low voltage notebooks to ship in 2009

Chip firm Intel is fiercely pushing consumer ultra low voltage processors (CULV) machines during 2009 in a bid to prevent the cannibilization of its lucrative notebook range by the pesky Netbook and the cheapo Atom.

And, according to DRAM Exchange, Intel will ship between eight to 10 million CULV units this year, amounting to between seven to nine percent of the non-Netbook notebook market share.

As we pointed out in a separate article today, Sean Maloney, senior VP of sales and marketing at Intel wants notebook manufacturers to sell these things at prices over $1,000 – so preserving its market share from being nibbled by Atom sales.

According to DRAM Exchange, a number of vendors including Acer, Asus and MSI are biting and of these Taiwanese companies, Acer’s product line is most advanced.

The Acer CULV line is called Timeline and are made by original design manufacturers Inventec and Wistron – the former makes a 13.3-inch unit, the latter 14-inch and 15.6-inch units. Acer has a target of shipping between five to six million of these during this year but that depends on supplies of components being on target.

Further, according to DRAM Exchange, HP and Dell’s CULV machines are delayed by a full quarter. And they’re worried about how introducing “consumer” notebooks will mess up their existing and future range of products.

This, according to DRAM Exchange, is what Acer’s line up looks like.