Intel
Written on June 3, 2008
Intel Corp said the market for smaller, low-cost personal computers, some of which can fit in one’s pocket, could be as big as $10 billion, driven by demand from emerging and matured markets.
The world’s largest semiconductor maker has launched its smallest ever processors — the Atom range — to power what it calls mobile Internet devices, as well as ultra-small PCs, called Netbooks and Nettops.
“It’s a 10 billion dollar opportunity over some period of time,” Sean Maloney, General Manager of Intel’s sales and marketing group, told Reuters in an interview at the Computex PC fair in Taipei.
“It’s a big opportunity for Intel and it’s a big opportunity for Taiwan manufacturers,” Maloney said.
Late last year, Taiwan’s Asustek Computer Inc launched its 7-inch Eee PC costing around $500 with Intel’s chips built in, and the Taiwan firm aims to double sales of the popular low-cost laptops next year to 10 million.
Asustek’s rival Acer Inc is also displaying tiny, low-cost PCs at Computex, which allow users to download video and music to flash memory and surf the Internet via a wireless connection.
“Its just starting, but it appears to be a pretty successful start,” said Maloney.
“We think that we are very comfortable with what we have done,” he said cash advance. “We are comfortable with the products.”
Filed in: legal.