Intel Plans Revived Push Into MID Market
The terms "Intel" and "Mobile Internet Device" have long since been spoken together, but the chip maker is reportedly gearing up to make another substantial push in the still-growing handheld market. The company is purportedly readying an undisclosed amount of new chips alongside a tweaked version of Linux designed with one goal in mind: to run well on future MIDs.
It's anticipated that Intel will aim the handheld computing devices -- which are generally larger and more capable than the average smartphone yet smaller than a netbook -- at individuals who place a high value on portability and who can't skimp on functionality. It's an interesting paradox for Intel, who also wants to continue selling processors for the very mobile phones and miniature laptops that it is essentially pitting the MID against. We figure that Intel sees the MID more as a new category and less of a threat to existing options, but there's no doubt that some overlap will occur.
If all goes to plan, these Intel-powered MIDs and the Linux-based Moblin 2 software will be out and about by the middle of this year, and it's expected that Intel will announce new hardware partners at the forthcoming Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona, Spain. Details about the actual processor are still being kept tightly under wraps, but we are informed that the company is "adapting its Atom CPU" for use in the next generation of Mobile Internet Devices. Now, convincing the general populace that they really need one more computing device in their carry-on is another challenge entirely.
It's anticipated that Intel will aim the handheld computing devices -- which are generally larger and more capable than the average smartphone yet smaller than a netbook -- at individuals who place a high value on portability and who can't skimp on functionality. It's an interesting paradox for Intel, who also wants to continue selling processors for the very mobile phones and miniature laptops that it is essentially pitting the MID against. We figure that Intel sees the MID more as a new category and less of a threat to existing options, but there's no doubt that some overlap will occur.
If all goes to plan, these Intel-powered MIDs and the Linux-based Moblin 2 software will be out and about by the middle of this year, and it's expected that Intel will announce new hardware partners at the forthcoming Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona, Spain. Details about the actual processor are still being kept tightly under wraps, but we are informed that the company is "adapting its Atom CPU" for use in the next generation of Mobile Internet Devices. Now, convincing the general populace that they really need one more computing device in their carry-on is another challenge entirely.
