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Intel: Rezence wireless charging will be in next year's devices
As we heard from Intel at its Computex keynote, the merger between A4WP (Alliance for Wireless Power) and PMA (Power Matters Alliance) is finally a signed deal as of today, which is a big step toward delivering the next generation of wireless power -- one that can transmit farther while also covering a wider range of wattage -- to consumers. Intel's SVP Kirk Skaugen, the very same man who's been pushing for the totally wireless PC since last year's Computex (the photo sort of explains why), added that we'll be seeing this magnetic resonance technology, aka Rezence, being integrated into next year's laptops, keyboard, mice and other devices. For those who can't wait, the exec also expects to see Rezence-enabled add-ons for mobile devices during the transitional period. "This will be a journey just like Centrino: We didn't invent wireless notebooks; we just made wireless ubiquitous."
Intel's success in China hinges on budget phones and tablets
"China is the number one market with connected products." That was how Intel's Senior Vice President Kirk Skaugen kicked off his keynote at IDF in Shenzhen, citing China's staggering 30 percent share of worldwide connected-device purchases in 2014. The country gobbled up 40 percent of the 46 million Intel-powered tablets shipped globally. Not bad, but 46 million is hardly anything compared to the 420.7 million smartphones shipped in China alone in the same year -- only a tiny percentage of which packed an Intel chip. Most others relied on Qualcomm, MediaTek and Samsung. Intel's smartphone market share is so small that it never dared to share the stats; it could be as low as 2.81 percent in the Android space, according to benchmark specialist AnTuTu.
Intel hands control of its mobile chip division to its Ultrabook chief
Intel may be king of the PC and laptop chip hill, but ARM's the reigning daddy when it comes to smartphones and tablets. Mostly this is because Intel's technology still lags behind ARM's ultra low power silicon, and because mobile software is predominantly geared toward the platform. So much so, in fact, that Intel's smartphone chip business lost $1 billion in the last quarter, but that isn't enough to deter the outfit from continuing. In fact, Brian Krzanich is taking the bold step of announcing that he's... reorganizing the company's chip divisions. In a memo, reported by the Wall Street Journal, the CEO has announced that the PC and mobile chip divisions will merge into a Client Computing group, with Kirk "Mr. Ultrabook" Skaugen at the helm. It makes a certain amount of sense, since Intel's PC division is raking in cash, and as Ultrabooks become more like tablets, there's a sensible level of crossover. Hell, maybe someone will come up with the idea of putting Haswell into a smartphone - which we're totally on board with.
Intel: Where we're going, we don't need cables
If you ask us, Intel's "Llama Mountain" design -- a PC even thinner than the iPad -- is already pretty futuristic. "Futuristic" might be an inaccurate word, though, considering that thing (or devices like it) will arrive later this year. No, if you want futuristic, you'll have to look toward Intel's next-next-generation chips, slated to debut sometime in 2015. A couple years from now, PCs might be missing cables, ports and even passwords -- not that Intel gets much of a say on that last one.
Intel's super-thin 'Core M' tablets will be cheaper than you think
It's OK if you're not a chip geek: All you need to know is that Intel's 7.2mm-thick reference PC was the most important thing we saw this week at Computex. Designed for 2-in-1s, the company's Core M-series processors will usher in full-fledged computers that are even skinnier than the iPad Air. Exciting, right? Seriously -- and maybe you just have to see for yourself -- these things are impressive. Futuristic, even. Given that, then, we would have assumed they'd hit the market later this year with steep prices in tow. After all, aren't we used to paying a premium for thin?
Kirk Skaugen reveals why Intel made touch mandatory for Haswell Ultrabooks
We were able to sit down with Intel's PC chief, Kirk Skaugen, and chew through the revelations and news that were announced at the press conference the day before. We wanted to know if Ultrabooks will eventually replace Laptops, what was the motivation behind the decision to make Haswell Ultrabooks touch only and if there's one form factor from the several available that's winning the popularity war. Share our curiosity? After the break is where you need to be.
Intel makes Touch, Wireless Display mandatory components for Haswell Ultrabooks
We're here live at Intel's CES press conference, where Kirk Skaugen has announced that companies who want to use the Ultrabook name and Haswell internals, it'll have to include touch as standard. The other new condition that Santa Clara is imposing is that the device must carry Wireless Display as standard. On the upside, at least you'll be able to see the images on your TV when your Ultrabook screen gets too greasy from your fingers. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Intel's Ivy Bridge will offer '20 percent more performance with 20 percent less average power'
So, there's still a little while to go before Intel gives Ivy Bridge a full unveiling, with official benchmarks, pricing and all those trimmings. But in the meantime, the BBC has detailed just how different this new architecture is compared to 32nm chips like Sandy Bridge and also AMD's coming Trinity processors. Most of this stuff we already knew -- like the fact that Intel has switched to a 3D or 'tri-gate' transistor design -- but what's new is a direct and official boast about performance. According to Kirk Skaugen, Chipzilla's PC chief, we can expect Ivy Bridge to deliver "20 percent more processor performance using 20 percent less average power." Now, judging from leaked desktop and laptop benchmarks, this broad-brush claim masks some very different realities depending on what type of CPU or GPU workloads you want throw at the chip, so stay tuned for more detail very soon.
