IDF Day 1: David Perlmutter: "Where Will 'On-the-Go' Go?"
It wouldn't be an IDF keynote without at least one mention of WiMax, and Perlmutter didn't disappoint. Perlmutter stated that Intel will start shipping mini-PCI and half-height-mini-PCI, WiFi/WiMax cards to OEMs before the end of the year, and that seven OEMs will ship notebooks with these cards (codenamed "Echo Peak") in Q1 of next year.
Intel is working with a number of partners in North America to get WiMax off the ground. Perlmutter claims that Baltimore will be going online with a WiMax system in the next few months. WiMax will also be launching in Japan and Russia next year. Intel is also trying to get WiMax implementations in Europe and Asia. Perlmutter stated that Intel is trying to get WiMax "as close as possible to IP free" (IP in this case, meaning "Intellectual Property") because Intel wants WiMax to be an open standard. Perlmutter demonstrated WiMax by conducting a videoconference call with Clearwire's Chief Technology Officer, John Saw, whose laptop was connected to the Internet via a WiMax connection. Saw claims that 1.2 million people in the Portland, Oregon area are on the local WiMax network. Saw also stated that rolling WiMax out to Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Grand Rapids is currently in progress.