Intel has
made it clear that its fourth-generation Core or “Haswell” processors
will power future PCs. But at the low end of the notebook market, the
company's branding strategy will be far muddier—and that's bad for
Intel, considering it needs to tell consumers exactly what to buy.
On one hand, Intel needs to present a clear alternative to
ARM, whose tablet partners dominate the mobile space and threaten
traditional PCs. From a technical standpoint, Intel seems well on its
way to solving that problem. Intel’s Haswell chip will eventually migrate to as little as 6 watts,
Intel said Tuesday, meaning that its Core chips could eventually power
tablets, too. But in the meantime, Intel's upcoming “Bay Trail” Atom
chips are waiting in the wings—and could offer the performance buyers
want at a fraction of the price.
This fall, buyers looking to pick up an inexpensive Windows
convertible or notebook may have to sort through several processor
brands, including Atom, Core, Pentium, and Celeron. And that’s without
even factoring in the code names: Bay Trail, Silvermont, and Haswell,
among others. Intel may have the right chip at the right price, but
because its processor line-up is so crowded, it's in real danger of
screwing the whole thing up.
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