Intel Intros $199 Laptop at Computex

News reports indicate that the low-cost Intel-Asustek laptop will be sold alongside Intel's existing Classmate PC. Called the Eee PC 701, the new laptop reportedly has 802.11b/g wireless, a 7-inch screen, 512 MB of memory, and several other features that likely will make it a direct competitor to laptops being created by the OLPC project.

On Tuesday, Intel Executive VP Sean Maloney announced plans for a $199 laptop that industry observers are saying will compete with the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project. At the Computex computer trade show in Taiwan, where this announcement and several others were made, Intel presented the new, under-$200, education-focused mobile PC that the chip giant is developing with Taiwan-based motherboard and computer manufacturer Asustek, whose brand is also known as Asus.

Although the OLPC project was not mentioned by name, the competition with the nonprofit group was clear. Headed by MIT Media Lab cofounder Nicholas Negroponte, OLPC has been working for two years to develop a robust $100 laptop designed for developing countries.

The initial price of the OLPC laptops has recently been revised to about $175, and, in a recent story on CBS' 60 Minutes as well as elsewhere, Negroponte accused Intel of "dumping" its low-priced Classmate PC laptop in several targeted developing nations as a way to undercut OLPC's plans. Intel's new $199 laptop might add more fuel to that fire.

Competition with OLPC

News reports indicate that this new Intel-Asustek laptop, which will be available in both $199 and $299 models, will be sold alongside Intel's existing Classmate PC. Called the Eee PC 701, the new laptop reportedly has 802.11b/g wireless, 10/100 Ethernet, a 56K modem, a 7-inch screen, 512 MB of memory, a webcam, and is designed to accommodate several solid state disk (SSD) drives. No release date was announced. Martin Reynolds, an analyst with industry research firm Gartner, said that the biggest challenge for very low-cost laptops is not hardware, but the cost of the operating system.

microsoft has to recognize," he said, "that it should become more interested in this new, very low-cost market." However, there have been reports that the OS on the demonstration machine at Computex did not appear to be Windows.

Over the next decade, Reynolds added, low-cost computers will move from the current $500 to $700 range, to a $200 to $400 range, with the current efforts by OLPC, Intel, and Asustek being the first wave of those lower-cost devices. In the not-too-distant future, he added, "people will own several laptops."

New Intel Chipsets, Chips

Also announced at the Taiwan show were the new Intel 3 Series chipsets, formerly known by the codename of Bearlake. They are designed to support higher-quality graphics, and are intended for use with the new, 45-nm Penryn processors coming later in 2007. The Santa Clara, California-based company said the new chipsets will be important for Intel's next-generation Viiv and vPro technologies.

Two of the Intel 3 Series chipsets, the G33 and the G35 Express, support Intel's Clear Video technology for enhanced video and the High Definition Media Interface playback. The company said that they can be used by HD DVD and Blu-ray manufacturers to reduce the costs associated with separate graphics chipsets. Additionally, the G35 integrates hardware support for DirectX 10 for smoother, more realistic 3D applications.

According to the company, all of the 3 Series chipsets enable users to add up to six external drives to a PC for extra data protection and performance, Intel High Definition Audio for up to 7.1 theater-like surround sound quality, and Intel Quiet System Technology to help enable reduced system noise and heat for a much quieter, yet high-performing PC.

In addition to the 3 Series chipsets, Intel announced a new Core 2 Extreme mobile processor, intended for high-end gaming notebooks. The chip, which will be available in the third quarter, is designed to help the company extend its Extreme Edition desktop brand to laptops, specifically for gaming enthusiasts seeking maximum performance.

Source : business.newsfactor.com