Laptop prices to dip, thanks to Intel

SAN FRANCISCO: Intel Corporation cut prices on its chips for mobile computers by as much as 34 percent this week, a move that could lower PC prices from the likes of Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co.

The cuts, made on Sunday, trim the cost of the highest-end models of Intel's Pentium M processors by 34 percent, with cuts of 13 percent at the lower end. The Santa Clara, California-based company often trims prices ahead of new product introductions.

Intel reported record-high sales of mobile computer microprocessors in the third quarter, as it spends millions of dollars to promote its Centrino brand of laptop chips. Intel's market share is especially strong for mobile chips against archrival AMD Inc.