Pre-Christmas rush makes components scarce

Intel 200MHz Pentium Pro chips, 2Gb and 4Gb hard drives and even 12.1-inch TFT notebook screens are in short supply this Christmas. "There is an industry shortage of components," said John Shepheard, European marketing manager of direct seller Gateway 2000. "It hasn't harmed us as we're getting all the components we need but it's going to hit the second tier vendors."

"At the moment, [the shortages] haven't bothered us too much," said Leon Poole, marketing manager at direct seller Roldec. Poole said Roldec had planned for the copmponent shortages from the third quarter: "We have felt the shortage of Pentium Pros almost from their inception, but on the whole we've faired well."

Poole admitted that there are long league times on 200MHz Pentium Pro systems because of the high demand from companies wanting to future-proof their systems, but "customers are fairly understanding, and recognise it as an industry-wide problem".

Gateway 2000 can be contacted by telephone on 0800-552000 and Roldec on 01902-456464.