Intel Haswell to arrive in low volume until USB 3.0 issue is fixed

Intel will slowdown the ramp of its new Haswell platform until it has fixed a USB 3.0 issue in the Haswell platform that causes some relatively minor issues when a system wakes from S3 sleep mode with devices connected through USB 3.0. Haswell is expected to hit the market in June, but volume will reportedly be "cautiously low" until Intel rolls out a new revision that fixes the USB 3.0 problem.

“Haswell for desktop (Denlow platform) looks set to launch with cautious volume in June using the faulty C1 stepping, and then to see a stronger ramp once the glitch is worked out. Still, this is more than we had hoped for in June. Caution in Ivy Bridge units still likely to constrain gross margin for Intel and contacts point to August as the more significant launch period,” said JoAnne Feeney, an analyst with Longbow Research, in a note to clients, reports Tech Trader Daily.

Earlier this month it was reported that Intel began to inform its partners that when a PC system with Core i-series “Haswell” and 8-series chipset inside wakes from S3 sleep mode, it experiences issues with devices connected through USB 3.0. Intel seemingly defines the issue only as a nuisance for end users, as there would be no serious unpleasant consequences, such as data loss. A quick fix for the problem, which may result in blank PDF pages or failure to resume playback, is already known: a restart of applications. In order to solve the issues with USB 3.0, a new chipset revision is required.