Intel's upcoming 14nm Broadwell-based processors were previously scheduled for mass production at the end of the first quarter for release in the third; however, sources from the upstream supply chain say the processors have recently been delayed and will not be available until the fourth quarter.

　　Broadwell's mass shipments will also be postponed to the first quarter of 2015. The sources believe the delay is partly due to the slow digestion of Haswell processor inventories in the market.

　　The sources pointed out that Broadwell processors will only have limited volumes in the fourth quarter and only U- and Y-series models will be available initially. Pentium and Celeron models will be released in the first quarter of 2015.

　　Without any strong drivers, the sources expect notebook demand to remain weak in the first half and will have a chance to pick up in the third quarter through price cuts. In the fourth quarter, since only limited Broadwell processor supplies will be available, the industry is unlikely to see any replacement trend.