Intel 3Q Guidance Stays The Course

Even so, the Santa Clara, Calif., company narrowed its expected range of revenue for the current quarter. Previously, it had told analysts to expect sales of between $9.6 billion and $10.2 billion for the period. Now they expect between $9.8 billion and $10 billion.

Executives said brisk sales of notebook products continues to push it into double-digit, year-over year growth. The news did not come as a surprise to some in the channel, who describe business as seasonal.

"It's basically been a very, very typical year," said Mike Zabaneh, chief operating officer of Tangent Computer, a Burlingame, Calif., system builder and Intel partner. He said that much of Tangent's government and education accounts have been showing steady orders, including schools buying technology for the back-to-school run-up.

"There wasn't extra money," Zabaneh said. "There wasn't less money." He said he has seen no tail off in business as a result of rising energy prices.

Intel executives said the company is seeing steady results from all geographies.

"We continue to see healthy growth worldwide," said Andy Bryant, Intel's chief financial officer in a conference call with financial analysts. He said Intel is on track for 16 percent to 18 percent growth for the quarter. "Our outlook anticipates a quarter in line with our expectations, and a little better than seasonal."

The continued market transition to notebook-based computing -- and adoption of Intel's Centrino platform -- has helped the company withstand pricing pressure.

"It's just that a [notebook] transition is happening gradually enough, and there is enough extra benefit in the notebook space that we are able to do better than we otherwise might expect," Bryant said.