Intel is going to double down on its Atom processors for
mobile products, leading to more low-cost laptops, the company's CEO said
during Intel's second-quarter earnings conference call on Wednesday.
Intel will make mobile Atom chips an equal partner with its
mainstream PC processors and will push Atom into sub-$300 laptops and
convertibles and $150 tablets, said new CEO Brian Krzanich.
"We're putting much, much [more] effort on Atom,"
he said.
The first major new Atom product to launch under Krzanich
will be "Bay Trail" -- a completely redesigned Atom that gets closer
to mainstream Intel Core i series chips in performance.
"Bay Trail allows us to get into these markets that we
aren't in...in a big way today. We expect to see touch-enabled clam shells
[laptops] coming down to the $300 range, convertibles [tablet-laptop hybrid] to
the sub-$400 range," Krzanich said.
He added that Bay Trail-based tablets may even get down to
$150.
Stacy Smith, Intel's chief financial officer, said Intel
tablet "volume" will quadruple from the first quarter this year to
the fourth quarter.Intel reported second-quarter earnings Wednesday. The chipmaker
said revenue fell to $12.8 billion, down from $13.5 billion in the same period
last year.
