Do PCs have a future? Intel thinks so

Posted: September 11, 2012 at 10:12 pm


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By Noel Randewich

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Intel Corp showed off hybrid tablets and ultrabook laptops with voice and gesture recognition technology along with an upcoming low-power chip in a bid to convince Wall Street a slump in the personal computer industry is only temporary.

At the annual Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco on Tuesday, the company demonstrated a range of mobile devices, many of them crosses between tablets and laptops. Executives showed sleek "ultrabook" laptops with improved gesture- and voice-recognition features, similar to those already found on some smartphones.

Intel's upcoming processor, code-named Haswell and due to appear in a crop of laptops during next year's holiday season, will improve on computing and graphics features and is targeted to reduce electricity consumption from 17 watts to 10 watts, according to the company.

The chip will allow devices to stay on longer without needing to recharge and underscores the Intel's recognition that mobility will only become a bigger factor in personal computing.

"It was designed with mobility in mind ... from sleek tablets to ultrabooks to high-performing desktops," said David Perlmutter, general manager of Intel's Architecture Group.

In an interview with Reuters, Perlmutter steered away from strict categories of laptops and tablets and said manufacturers over the next few year will offer a wider range of mobile products for consumers, mixing and matching new features, performance and size.

Recent launches of smaller tablet sizes by Google and Amazon are examples of the already growing range of devices consumers have to choose between, a trend that will gain more steam, he said.

"There will be a variety of needs fulfilled by a variety of solutions. Some people want something very benign, very simple," Perlmutter said. "Others need performance."

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Do PCs have a future? Intel thinks so

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September 11th, 2012 at 10:12 pm




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