In spite of recent reports that Intel will delay its next generation Atom CPUs to Q1 2010, the company is now saying that it will launch them in Q4 this year.

However, the announcement may soothe investors and let Intel brag about launching Pineview in 2009, but in reality, products will not appear until 2010. Intel will ship the new chips to PC makers in late Q4, but it will take some time for actual products to materialize.

Intel refused to comment on when Pineview netbooks will start shipping, but it is all but certain that they will appear no sooner than Q1 2010. Intel is planning to EOL its current generation of Atom N-series chips in Q1 2009 as well.

The new parts with integrated graphics will be part of a two-chip platform, rather than a three-chip solution used in the current platform. In addition to reducing manufacturing costs, it will allow vendors to come up with thinner, passively cooled designs that should offer superior battery life compared to current netbooks. Unfortunately, the improvement in performance will be marginal.