The company manufacturing the One Laptop Per Child notebook played down the impact of component shortages, rebutting local reports that the shortages will affect supplies of the computer when it ships in October.

Strong sales of notebook computers and a massive battery recall are causing shortages of many key components, including screens, certain kinds of chips and other parts, analysts and companies say.

The production schedule for OLPC's laptop is also problematic because it's starting in the peak season for notebook demand. OLPC shipments are slated to begin in October.

Back-to-school sales and the run-up to Christmas are hot times of the year for people to buy laptop PCs, and hype around Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Vista and Intel Corp.'s Santa Rosa laptop chips has given an added spurt to demand this year, said C. C. Leung, vice chairman and president of Quanta Computer Inc., at a news conference Friday in Kuei Shan, Taiwan.

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