Intel, watching the torch pass from laptops to tablets, is determined to make 2011 “about becoming relevant,” as its marketing manager told one reporter Monday. The chip maker is taking another whack at finding an answer to the iPad, launching the Oak Trail chip designed specifically for tablets.
Although Intel doesn’t plan to launch its new 45nm Atom chip until May, the company says 35 tablets are set to use the component. However, some question whether the Santa Clara, Calif.-based firm can make a dent in the existing tablet marketplace. While Intel CEO Paul Otellini told employees he is “very optimistic about our opportunities in tablets,” Gartner’s research head Michael Gartenberg warned tablet users “seem to be quite happy with the Arm architecture.”
Is Arm – which makes the chips powering the iPhone and iPad – concerned about rival Intel’s latest moves? Not if you listen to CEO Warren East. Intel’s Atom designs “are just not good enough in terms of power consumption. Intel knows this,” East told reporters in November.
Indeed, the question of power consumption appears to be a road block for Apple. For some time, rumors had floated the the Cupertino, Calif. company would move the iPhone to the Atom. Instead, Apple chose Arm for its A5 design to power the iPad 2 and reportedly the upcoming next-generation iPhone.
