Intel now launching Centrino 2 in July

Intel doesn't just make and market CPUs--the company builds "platforms," which is a fancy way of saying it likes to bundle together a set of specs for a particular combination of CPU, motherboard chipset, and Wi-Fi interface, and slap a sticker on it.

The Centrino brand has been a big success, while other attempts, such as AMD's Live and Intel's Viiv, have not. Naturally, we've all been eagerly awaiting the launch of Centrino 2, expected at Computex Taipei 2008 (which will take place June 3-7), with the new platform followed by updated laptops from pretty much every vendor under the sun.

TG Daily now reports that the Centrino 2 launch (originally codenamed Montevina) won't happen until at least mid-July: "Sources close to Intel have confirmed to TG Daily earlier reports that Intel's Montevina notebook platform, referred to as Centrino 2, will see a substantial delay. Montevina will not make it to Computex next week and will miss its originally planned debut date later in June."

The reason for the delay is reportedly two-fold--a problem with the FCC certification for the 802.11n Wi-Fi standard used in the platform, and also reports of problems with the integrated graphics used in lower-end system that lack discrete graphics chips.

As many around the Web are quick to point out--this probably means no new MacBooks at WWDC.

Update: Intel tells us that the Centrino 2 platform will now officially begin its launch on July 14, including new Core and Extreme CPUs, with some chipsets rolling out over the following few weeks, into August.