Intel began the year strongly at CES in January by delivering a keynote about 2013 being a game changing year for Intel. It was all about a game changing product on the way called the Ultrabook Convertible. Last week in Beijing, Intel's IDF was in full gear once again to excite their developers in China about the coming new product category. The theme echoing throughout their main keynote was that the next generation Ultrabooks in the form of convertibles and detachables were going to deliver the very best 2 for 1 computer deal for consumers that they won't be able to ignore. The new devices will deliver the best powered notebook and the best featured tablets in one device. Intel believes that this this is the game changer they need to breathe life back into the PC market which just experienced its worst quarter in more than twenty years. Will they be able to pull it off? Time will tell.
The Consumer Electronic Show is always fun each year and we try our best to follow Intel's keynote as we do with Intel Developer Forums (IDF) held biannually. While Briton's ARM has stolen most of the innovation thunder away from Intel over the years, Intel continues to drive innovation in many areas of the business. During September's IDF they revealed their breakthrough radio technology that will fuel the build out of next generation broadband network infrastructures. This will allow wireless carriers to update to future wireless standards at the speed of light though software updates instead of hardware equivalents today. While we applaud Intel for their work in many areas of the market that will benefit us all over time, it's great to see that Intel will finally deliver their long awaited Ultrabook Convertible. It will be the first generation notebook-tablet device with an all new grounds-up architecture called Haswell that will reinvent notebooks. Could it be the game changer that they've been hoping for since the arrival of Apple's iPhone in 2007? Could this product finally put Wintel back on consumer's radar screens after years of sluggish sales? For enterprise workers and students alike, it looks like the Ultrabook Convertible could potentially hand Wintel their first homerun in years. But will it be enough to be the most popular device for 2013? Time will tell.
This year's Intel Developer Forum (IDF) has come and gone and the troops are all psyched up over yet another slick marketing slogan that Intel is so good at crafting. This year's theme was noted as being: The next era of computing: Transparent Computing. There was a definite disconnect between their slick new theme and what they actually delivered during their three main keynotes. Yet, there were a handful of points and future features worth noting, especially one integrating NFC into Ultrabook trackpads for ecommerce. Yet the big breakthrough that Intel shared with the world at IDF 2012, was their ongoing work in digital radios and how that will help wireless carriers save money building out their LTE infrastructure using the cloud and more importantly, eventually allowing carriers to implement next generation wireless standards quicker. Intel's Justin Ratner stated that "This software-defined radio designoffers the versatility to add new radio protocols over time as they're introduced with a simple software upgrade." For tech buffs, that's certainly a breakthrough worth noting.
Patently Apple has reported on most Intel Developer Conferences over the last few years simply because Apple had transitioned from the Power PC to the Intel Architecture back in 2005-2006. Yet once Apple introduced the iPhone, there was a definite disconnect between the two companies publically. There were a series of snipes from the Intel camp towards Apple at various IDF events and there was definitely some real tension between these two companies. Over the last twelve to eighteen months Intel has clearly aimed their sights on Apple's MacBook Air with the introduction of the Ultrabook. They're also squarely aiming to challenge iTunes on Ultrabooks in the future as well. As you could see in our opening graphic, Intel's 2012 Beijing IDF slide makes it clear: An Industry Call to Action for the Ultrabook and beyond. As you will see, Intel isn't only trying to follow Apple's lead in notebook designs but also the iMac and iPhone too.
In 2009 Intel introduced a theme called a continuum of computing and spoke about the three vectors of innovation. In April 2011 they spoke about the rise of tablets and the new mobile device form factors that are on the way. Then in June of this year Intel spoke about the transformation of the PC. They confidentially assured their developers that the turmoil being experienced today in the market, due to tablets, was simply the PC undergoing its third transformation since the mid-ninety's: No more, no less. Otellini described how the growth in computing over the next few years will dwarf what's been accomplished over the past 3 decades. This was about Intel's vision of a future accelerated. And while IDF had its interesting moments, make no mistake about it – the only thing on Intel's mind is their next generation processor called Haswell. This is the processor that they believe will usher in next phase of the mobile device revolution.
If you're a PC and gadgets fan, then June is turning out to be quite the interesting month. Intel delivered a series of keynotes at Computex 2011 last week and Steve Jobs will be bringing the house down tomorrow when he takes the wraps off their latest operating system upgrades dubbed OS X Lion and iOS 5. Apple's blowout news of course will come from revelations about their all-new iCloud music service. In today's report, we'll take a look at some of the interesting new features that will be coming to our personal computers over the next 18 – 30 months. Intel presented some real surprises, especially their 2013 processor which is a whole new from scratch architecture. I liked what I saw on the way from Intel and I'll be thrilled to see what Apple delivers tomorrow. What a great month it's turning out to be for tech heads!
There was a time not too long ago when an Intel Developer Conference (IDF) was considered one of the most anticipated PC industry events of the year. Yet that seems to have all gone to hell after Apple released their first iPad with an A4 processor inside. Apple dared to shatter the standard computing model by abandoning the traditional PC chip makers – and the Chip Gods fell to earth with a mighty thud. Was Intel caught off guard by the ferocity of the iPad's success? Yes – most definitely. They've been caught off guard ever since the debut of the iPhone in 2007. In fact all of Apple's competitors appear to be in some kind of perpetual stupor with every attempt at a counter attack being as anemic as the last. To be honest, Intel could never do it alone and with Microsoft fumbling in the dark and the amateurish Android looking more like Windows for the mobile age every day, it doesn't look promising. In today's report we hone in on Intel's central IDF keynote that honestly attempted to address the iPad revolution head on. Was it enough? You be the judge.
At IDF this week Paul Otellini presented us with a broad overview of the multiple ways in which Intel is aggressively acquiring companies as they transform from being primarily a one dimensional chip company for computers and servers into a multi-tiered computing solutions provider. In David Perlmutter's keynote we learned about a great new 3D wand that is in the making that happens to mirror what Apple is working on in their lab. In a third keynote delivered by Intel's Doug Davis, we were given an overview of the rapid changes that are occurring with Intel's Atom Processors which will be entering the embedded space in 2011. Yet once again, the surprise of this keynote came in the form of a presentation by Dell who revealed a new notebook-tablet. It appears that Dell is on cue to beat Apple to market with this new hybrid notebook in time for the all-important Christmas shopping season. This report shows you Dell's device and some of the changes coming to Intel's Atom processor.
Over the years there have been some really dynamic opening IDF keynotes from Intel's CEO Paul Otellini. While this wasn't one of them, there was certainly a very important message for the whole industry to hear loud and clear. Why? Because while companies like Apple are changing their business model by stepping into the chip business, Intel is likewise stepping out of their traditional chip-centric role in the marketplace to become a total "Solutions Provider." Yet Intel isn't just changing, they're aggressively changing as they rapidly acquire new companies that will help them shape their new emerging business model. Last year's big news was their acquisition of Wind River. This year the train is picking up steam as they acquired McAfee for security software, Infineon for 3G and LTE technology and lastly acquiring the Texas Instruments cable modem business so as to fast-track their Smart TV initiatives. Beyond acquisitions, Otellini provided us with a peek at Sandy Bridge and provided us with an overview of what that powerful architecture will bring to the desktop in 2011. Yet it was a little segment at the end of the Perlmutter keynote that struck home the hardest. We were presented with a demo of a 3D Wand that could only come to life thanks to Sandy Bridge's powerful CPU/GPU architecture; a wand that resembled the outline of a recent Apple patent. Yet there was a twist to this wand that Apple could definitely adopt that would open the door to some rather interesting video gameplay. So tune in and we'll show you what all the fuss is all about.
Intel's CEO Paul Otellini kicked off his January 2010 keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with a bang when he stated that we were "on the cusp of a new era in computing: An era of personal computing, essentially where we have many devices for every person - For computing is increasingly integrated into every aspect of our lives. These changes are transforming the industry and they're transforming Intel." One of the key forces behind this change was Intel's acquisition of Wind River. Their footprint on Intel was felt throughout several of this spring's IDF keynotes and our report's first graphic, in fact, is titled Welcome to the Embedded World to make that point crystal clear. Yet the news that will be most interesting to Macites this day – is in how obsessed Intel is over Apple's iPhone. Intel wants to challenge Apple in the smartphone sector and in order to that they're aggressively creating a new developer platform to sideline Apple and the iPhone. You have to wonder if Intel once believed that by wooing Apple over to the Intel architecture that they'd eventually gain Apple's favor in creating future smartphones and netbooks based on Intel. The iPhone seems to grind on Intel and I don't know whether to laugh or be concerned. Time will tell.
In October 2009, Patently Apple pointed to Intel being On the Cusp of a Whole New Industry and presented you with an insider's view of what Intel had been promoting and marketing behind the scenes in respect to the next wave of 3D TV and other interesting subject matters. In Otellini's CES keynote, he shared his belief that "we're on the cusp of a new era in computing."More importantly, Otellini and his 3D lab team treated us to some very powerful conceptual imagery; Imagery that most definitely could translate into explosive new Apple products in the coming years. Beyond that, Otellini emphasized SmartTV, the power needed to power all forms of 3D content and introduced us all to the Home Energy Management Dashboard that will definitely become a part of our in-home strategy down the road.
Well before IDF 2009 even began, Intel was on the road selling a new message to selective audiences in front of and behind the cameras. We began hearing about Intel's vision for television at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show during Paul Otellini's keynote, where he discussed topics such as WiMAX, HDTV and their upcoming SoC called Canmore. Fast forwarding to February 2008 and we see that Intel's mission of promoting the next wave of television and entertainment services went into higher gear behind the scenes where they began promoting the notion that they were on the very cusp of a whole new industry. This report takes a quick peek back at that key 2008 event and then flashes forward to cover two current Intel keynotes that take a peek at the future of television. In the end, we go full circle in order to try and give some meaning to what being on the cusp of a whole new industry actually means.
