Are Acer and ASUS postponing their Android netbooks?

Despite launching new netbooks like there was no tomorrow over the last few months, both Acer and ASUS are reportedly putting the brakes on any new models for the rest of this year.

A story in the Taiwanese newspaper DigiTimes claims that both netbook manufacturers have been forced to reschedule their plans for Android-based netbooks — both Acer and ASUS had models running the Google Android operating system on show at Computex — following the revelation that Intel has postponed its plans for a 2009 launch of its Pine Trail-M platform until next year.

Originally planned for launch in the second half of this year, Pine Trail-M will introduce the next-generation Intel Atom processor, the N450. The delay is apparently the result of Intel now wishing to cause too much upheaval in the netbook market in the lead up to Christmas.

First revealed at Computex, the N450 is some 60% smaller than the current Atom N270 processor, but has a roughly similar specification — 1.66GHz, 677MHZ front-side bus and 512Kb of L2 cache. The real difference is that the N450 also has an integrated graphics chip (assumed to be Intel’s GMA500) and is reckoned to have a power consumption of just 7W — around half that of the equivalent N270 plus chipset set-up.

The delay has apparently led Acer and ASUS to focus on slim CULV-based processors instead — ASUS already has one ultra-stylish CULV portable in the pipeline, in the shape of the UX50V.

It’s important to note that none of this information has been confirmed by Acer, ASUS or Intel, so don't rule out an Android-powered netbook popping up before Christmas just yet.

[via SlashGear]

UPDATE 30/07/09: Intel has now denied that Pine Trail-M will be delayed. Mooly Eden, General Manager of Intel’s Mobile Platforms Group, said: "We are going to ship revenue shipments in the second half of the year." Acer has also re-iterated its plans to launch an Android-based Aspire One netbook based on Intel's new mobile platform. So, a lot of fuss about nothing, then...