Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • PC Hardware

    Up Next: Intel Everywhere?

    Written by

    David Coursey
    Published May 27, 2005
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      As Intel recasts itself to become “a platform company” customers have every reason to wonder, “Whats in it for us?” Its too early to tell, but Im hopeful Intels platforms will make PCs easier to buy and less expensive, as well as allow them to add important functional improvements.

      The challenge in creating new platforms is that Intel will have to sell an awful lot of chips to make the effort worthwhile. Intels first platform, Centrino, didnt do so much to improve mobile computing as to package together features that customers would have bought anyway, like Wi-Fi, and added them to Intels standard offerings.

      Centrino has, however, made optimized mobile platforms easier to buy, even if its also had the effect of homogenizing the offerings of various hardware manufacturers. If the hardware OEMs arent careful, customers could soon find themselves asking for the Intel platform rather than a specific brand of machine.

      /zimages/5/28571.gifWill Intel platforms bolster the sagging PC business? Click here to read more.

      If customers are buying commodity computers, this could be a good thing as it would turn the screws even tighter on the hardware vendors. It will also mean that new features, like built-in cellular phones and VOIP in portables, could become common much more quickly than would otherwise occur. But I return to the fact that Intel is likely to only invest in creating platforms the company is sure it can sell in large numbers. That means the new Intel platforms arent likely to be bleeding edge or even close.

      That would be the conservative play. There is always the possibility that Intel will throw caution to the wind and do something wild and crazy. While waiting for this to happen, however, I suggest that you continue breathing normally. Intel is not known for big surprises.

      Something else likely to govern Intels platform plans is the companys complex relationship with Microsoft. The two must work closely together, and they both have PC hardware OEMs as primary customers. Over the years, Ive seen many Intel initiatives essentially grounded because they flew in the face of what Microsoft had in mind. Intel would like to be known as a company that really innovates, but whenever it does innovate, Microsoft seems able to steal the limelight.

      The poor hardware vendors sometimes find themselves caught in the middle, but always seem to veer toward Microsoft at the finish line. Further, at least some of Intels platform features, whatever they turn out to be, will require operating system support. This will happen only if the two PC giants are able to work out a common road map.

      Intels talk of a new business platform with improved, built-in system management features could make life easier for corporate customers. It seems to complement Microsofts efforts in the same direction. Customers should hope the two will make this happen as it has the potential to significantly reduce total cost-of-ownership for enterprise PC installations.

      /zimages/5/28571.gifFor more insights from David Coursey, check out his Weblog.

      In the home environment, where Intel also plans to offer a new platform, the move toward media-centric home systems and wireless media extenders offers a chance for Microsoft and Intel to do some real good by working together.

      A standard Intel media center platform would make it easier for software developers to create applications and for Microsoft to roll out new features, supported by the Intel chip set.

      Home and business desktops are two of the platforms Intel has said it plans to create. The other two are home and business notebooks, where new communications features may be interesting in concept, but hard to sell to the mass market.

      Adding a cellular capability to notebooks, for example, is only useful if customers are willing to pay for the required cellular service. Adding a VOIP capability, allowing users to place telephone calls over the Internet from any broadband network, is interesting but likewise requires a service component.

      /zimages/5/28571.gifRead more here about Intel PCs including VOIP and cellular capabilities.

      From Intels perspective, platforms offer the chance to sell an ever-larger portion of the bill of materials for a desktop, laptop or server to hardware manufacturers. Customers, however, must still wonder what happens when—and if—Intel Inside becomes Intel Everything.

      Contributing editor David Coursey has spent two decades writing about hardware, software and communications for business customers.

      /zimages/5/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest news in desktop and notebook computing.

      David Coursey
      David Coursey
      One of technology's most recognized bylines, David Coursey is Special Correspondent for eWeek.com, where he writes a daily Blog (blog.ziffdavis.com/coursey) and twice-weekly column. He is also Editor/Publisher of the Technology Insights newsletter and President of DCC, Inc., a professional services and consulting firm.Former Executive Editor of ZDNet AnchorDesk, Coursey has also been Executive Producer of a number of industry conferences, including DEMO, Showcase, and Digital Living Room. Coursey's columns have been quoted by both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs and he has appeared on ABC News Nightline, CNN, CBS News, and other broadcasts as an expert on computing and the Internet. He has also written for InfoWorld, USA Today, PC World, Computerworld, and a number of other publications. His Web site is www.coursey.com.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×