The wait for the highly anticipated Intel Montevina Centrino 2 chipset is far from being over, as the chipmaker unveiled Tuesday its decision to delay the launch to July 14, due to a series of technical issues. In addition to that, the company is reportedly facing some certifications problems with the chipset.

Montevina was supposed to be launched at the end of this month, however, according to an e-mail sent to PC Magazine by Bill Kircos, Intel spokesman, the final testing phase unveiled two minor issues, one with the integrated graphics chipsets, which has been solved, but the parts need to be re-screened (check for flaws), and a paperwork and certification mistake on behalf of Intel.

All of these, Kirko added, contributed to the delay, considering they need a couple of extra weeks in order to get the right readiness and volume for the rest of their components. The second phase of the launch will take place in early August, he added.

Centrino 2 will deliver better performance than any previous product, as well as provide a longer battery life, all in a smaller package, which makes them ideal for mini-notebooks, the company explained, adding that they support WiMax wireless silicon, HDCP and come with integrated Wi-Fi.

The module which will integrate both Wi-Fi and WiMax silicon is called Echo Peak, but is expected to become available at a later date.

The delay puts Intel in a bit of a disadvantage in front of AMD, which is expected to unveil its Puma platform as early as June. Considering the competition between the two is as tough as it gets, it still remains to be seen whether this delay will affect Intel.