Quad core is definitely not getting as popular as many were expecting, as it stays at 10 to 12 percent of total CPU shipments and according to the plans that we’ve seen, it won’t grow much in the next three quarters.

In Q2 2009, Intel finally got rid of the Core 2 Quad 65nm as they were representing significantly less than one percent of the total desktop shipments and 65nm quads are finally retired, RIP.

The current best selling quad-core is 45nm based and in Q2 2009 Intel expected 7 percent of total CPUs to be 45nm quads. In Q3 2009 this market share will increase to 8 percent and it will stay at 8 percent even in Q4 2009. In Q1 2010 its market share will drop to 6 percent and probably will decay even further in Q2 2010 and onwards.

Core i7 generation is 45nm and in Q2 2009 only 2 percent of all CPUs will be Core i7. This is not that bad considering that the cheapest one sells for $250+ while the top one sells for $999. In Q3 2009 Core i7 remains at the same 2 percent of the market while in both Q4 2009 and Q1 2010 its market share will drop to pitiful one percent and stay there.

Lynnfield is Intel’s new 45nm quad-core hope. In Q2 2009 Intel was still not selling it, and in Q3, the quarter that just started, Intel plans to ship Lynnfield to account for 2 percent of total desktop shipments. In Q4 2009 and Q1 2010 its market share will get to three percent.