Intel's laptop: thin, light, leather

Earlier this notebook was written here , but this topic contains a lot of text and at the end is a large number of photos of this device.

When Intel asked designers to create the best laptop, its wishes were really simple: the device should be fashionable, should be able to connect with all known types of wireless networks and should contain all the latest and fastest developments, as well as be as thin as like a motorola razr. Intel engineers in conjunction with Ziba Design from Portland, Oregon, took on this task.

The result is a notebook with a code name - Intel mobile Metro notebook, which has a thickness of less than 0.70 inches (1.78 cm), which is about a quarter more than the thickness of Motorola's favorite phone. This thickness makes it the thinnest laptop in the world, and also, due to its 2.25 lb (1.02 kg) weight, makes it the lightest notebook computer. Also among the interesting features, there is the possibility of a permanent connection to the Internet, using various wireless technologies.

Unlike other prototypes, including those that belong to Intel, this device may soon be located on store shelves. Intel, for the time being, has not announced the start date for the production of this notebook, but people familiar with the subject say that the company is announcing plans to produce a notebook a little later this year.
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Small notebook, Big Margin

The laptop was first introduced in April of this year at the Intel Developer Forum in Beijing, but the designers provided BusinessWeek.com with an exclusive opportunity to learn more about the technologies and ideas that formed the basis of the product. If it is released anyway, and will be sold everywhere, then this product will lead to a rethinking of computer use, design and marketing.

This could turn into good news for Intel, which is seeing a sharp drop in sales in the light of the price struggle with AMD. It is also in the interests of the company to warm up the interest of customers to devices using their processors. The laptop will contain the development of Intel, not only for computing, but also for working with memory and connecting to wireless networks. The prototype also includes devices developed by companies financed by the subsidiary venture capital company Intel Capital.

The company will be interested in big sales, especially in the market of high-tech devices with a large profit. According to IDC research, sales of laptops in the price range of $ 2,000 annually increase by 1.4%, compared with 73.5% of notebook sales in the price range of $ 500 to $ 999. The reason for this, basically, is that sales of computer equipment to corporations, which are the biggest buyers, are falling.

Almost a jewel

Consumers - the biggest sales engine. And in most cases, consumer choice depends not only on the content, but also on the form. At the same time, most computer manufacturers simplify the design in order to reduce the price of the product as much as possible.

This is where Intel and Ziba want to stand out. "Intel wants to stimulate communication," says Roger Kay, president of consulting company Endpoint Technology Associates. In addition to making the notebook thin, they also used materials that reflect high quality and coolness. Made from magnesium champagne-colored laptop decorated with exquisite gold accents.

“It’s like a jewel,” says Omer Kotzer, creative director of electronics design company Ziba Design.

And like mobile phones, which are created with different melodies and colors, this laptop is struggling to be considered a personal fashion accessory. The laptop comes with a folder that is connected to the case with the help of magnets. The folder will be available in various colors, and will serve as a wireless signal booster. On one of the parties, there will be a screen developed by E Ink, one of those invested by Intel Capital. This screen can display a picture, calendar or to-do list for the day.

Embedded chips

Although the designers say that the product is intended for both genders, it may appeal to women as a fashion accessory - a group of people that Intel has long dreamed of getting. “Recently, women are increasingly becoming a key player in making decisions about buying high-tech products,” said Richard Shim, an analyst at IDC. “More and more companies are starting to pay attention to the female segment of the market.”

But Intel says that the laptop is designed for all genders. “As the market shows, companies that are interested only in one segment of the market fail,” says Kay. Patrick Lynch (Patrik Lynch), a manager at Intel, says the design is designed to be interspersed by people in different professions, such as real estate agents or salespeople who may need to work in different places, such as Starbucks, a car, or another company's office.

These users will love the fact that the device supports a permanent wireless connection to the Internet. Today, laptops can connect to WiFi networks, but to connect to the Internet via cellular networks, you need special adapters. The chips built into this laptop model allow users to connect to cellular, WiFi or WiMax networks. Intel is planning to release this embedded chip in late 2007 - early 2008.

Built-in connectivity to cellular networks can change the way laptops are sold now. In the US, cellular network technologies differ from the providers of this service. Therefore, computer manufacturers can start selling special adapters, such as an adapter for SIM cards used by some operators in Europe. Or adapted laptops will have to be sold through a network of service provider companies.

Furore factor

The laptop also contains other features that, as Intel hopes, will attract customers.

It contains built-in microphones from Fortemedia, another company in which Intel has invested, which are designed specifically to suppress ambient noise, they are usually used by Internet telephony fans using programs such as Skype. The same laptop is made with improved protection, boasts a fingerprint scanner and the ability to remotely destroy the hard drive.

Of course, none of the versions that will enter the market will contain all these possibilities, and even if it does, there is no certainty that the laptop will have an adequate price. “For Intel, the price does not matter,” says Bob Sweet, director of reports at Ziba. The same can not be said about the manufacturers of computers whose income is under pressure.

Nevertheless, Intel and Ziba believe that the laptop will create a sensation in some segments of the market. “If you want to stir up the market,” says Sweet. “That's the way to do it!”

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by BusinessWeek.com