Atom chip causing headaches for Windows 8 tablet makers

According to a report published by Information Week certain major manufacturers of Windows 8 tablets have been struggling to build the necessary drivers for their devices to operate with Intel's Atom Z2760 "Clover Trail" chip. Tablets that have been affected by the driver issues include Dell's Latitude 10 and HP's Envy x2. The Atom Z2760 is a new SoC platform that is energy-efficient and has been designed to compete with the iPad and high-end Android tablets in regards to battery life and performance.

Dell and HP are not the only manufacturers having problems creating drivers that conform to Microsoft's Windows Hardware Quality Labs testing. Other tablets that have been delayed because of similar issues include the Asus VivoTab Smart and Lenovo's ThinkPad Tablet 2. Manufacturers that are currently shipping devices with the Atom Z2760 are Samsung with their ATIV Smart PC and Acer with their Iconia W510.

Delays for these devices are expected to last until January 2013, with orders for the Dell Latitude 10 going as far back as November 28, 2012. An analyst with the research company DISCERN stated that the longer it took businesses to get hold of evaluation units of these Windows 8 devices, the more negative impact it could have on future enterprise sales.

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