Keeping up with Intel's codenames and brand names is no easy task for the average computer buyer. The chipmaker's recent mobile chipsets, Carmel, Sonoma, Napa, and Santa Rosa, have all been branded as Centrino, and though the technology and specs have continued to improve, the unchanging brand name has left consumers unable to identify the differences.
In light of this, the company now intends to formally introduce its upcoming Montevina platform as Centrino 2 to give consumers the feeling of a tangible upgrade and hopefully spur replacement demand. The new Montevina platform is scheduled for a mid-2008 release along with six 45nm notebook CPUs, all with a 1066MHz FSB and core speeds between 2.26GHz and 3.06GHz. These will initially be introduced as dual-core parts, but Intel has confirmed that quad-core versions will appear in the second half of the year.
Montevina will be accompanied by the 'Cantiga' chipset and updated 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi adaptors, one of which will also incorporate WiMAX. Although the Centrino 2 re-branding part hasn't been confirmed by Intel just yet, an official announcement is widely expected at this year's Computex in Taipei.