Intel aims for £240 desktop
Ag@whd
(Maybe a dig at Dixons?)
Intel is accelerating its Celeron road map for low-cost PCs,
targeting a price point for desktop systems that could ultimately
fall as low as $399 (£240).
Intel, while late to market with chips for sub-$1,000 (£602) PCs,
has been gaining ground rapidly on AMD and National Semiconductor's
Cyrix subsidiary. Celeron sales during the second quarter are second
only to sales of the Pentium II claimed Paul Otellini, executive
vice president and general manager of the Intel Architecture
Business Group. "We're doing a massive programme to take costs down
without sacrificing functionality ' Otellini said.
His goal is a $399 (£240) PC that would run Windows and provide
browser-based Internet access, although he admitted, "I don't know if
we can make money there." One of the ways Intel will take cost out
of PCs is through integration. For example, next year it will
release a low-cost chip set, code-named Whitney, that includes
embedded three-dimensional graphics. Intel will cease development of
low-end dedicated graphics chips such as the i740, which it released
early this year. The company has also moved up the release dates of
forthcoming 400MHz and 433MHz Celeron processors, which are both due
by the middle of next year. As it expands its Celeron offerings,
Intel is getting ready for a major new Pentium chip that includes
Katmai New Instructions, a set of embedded 3-D instructions.
Katmai processors, which sources expect to debut in late February
initially will be available at clock speeds of 450MHz and 500MHz.
Systems based on Katmai processors are expected to start between
$2,000 (£1,204) and $2,500 (£1,506). Meanwhile, Intel's competitors
aren't sitting still. AMD has introduced three new K6-2 processors
for desktop PCs, running at clock speeds of 400MHz, 380MHz and
366MHz. The new chips include the company's 3DNow 3-D multimedia
extensions and support its Super 7 100MHz system bus. AMD also hopes
to give Intel a run for its money at the high end with the K7. AMD's
seventh-generation processor, expected in the first half of next
year, will debut at speeds of at least 500MHz and will have a 200MHz
bus that can theoretically be pushed to 400MHz. The K7 will be AMD's
first product targeted at workstations and servers.
Adrian
WWW WWW Adrian Gothard
WWW ww WWW White Horse Design
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Designers of video capture/filter/processing systems for aircraft
Guy King
from w...@directors-1.zetnet.zet (Ag@whd) contains these words:
> $1,000 (£602)
Er, I think you'll find that this is a bit optimistic. Not quite $1 =
£1, but not far off.
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Guy King |~~(o o) My mother warned me about
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