Intel: 2010 is not your grandfather's refresh cycle

As for the PC end of the enterprise business, Otellini said that the upgrade cycle is underway, but that 2010 is a weird year without seasonal trends. "2010 is not your grandfather's refresh cycle," he said. Companies are shifting to Windows 7 as they replace their aging desktops first, but are not doing big bang upgrades like they might have done in years gone by. The good news is that this slow, steady, and measured pace of enterprise PC upgrades gives Intel confidence looking ahead to Q4 and to next year.

Otellini said that in its server and PC segments, the company did not engage in deep discounting to drive revenues, and added that the days when computer makers would absorb extra volumes at a discounted price were long-gone anyway, thanks to order-driven supply chain management software that manufacturers and distributors use to manage their inventories.