Intel aims to push PCs out of the office

Consumer Electronics Show 2008

Intel has announced at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that it wants to push computers away from office desks.

The chipmaker unveiled a line of processors and platforms aimed at making PCs smaller, more efficient and better equipped to become living room devices.

"A transformation is clearly underway," said chief executive Paul Otellini. "The internet will continue to transform the [consumer electronics] industry."

Otellini delivered his keynote under the theme 'The internet is personal', referring to a new way in which consumers are applying technology through interactive web services.

Central to the campaign will be 16 new processors all using the 45nm fabrication process.

The desktop chips will be focused on enhancing video, while the notebook processors will place an emphasis on energy efficiency. All the chips will be lead-free.

Not mentioned in the keynote was the 'rebranding' of Viiv that will accompany the platform. Viiv had originally been designed as a specification for multimedia-specific PCs.

The new incarnation of Viiv will be as a branding for Intel CPUs with special multimedia capabilities, such as the ability to receive downloads while in low-power mode.

Otellini instead took time to showcase the upcoming wave of ultra-mobile and handheld devices powered by Intel's Menlo platform.

"This new category of devices creates a prime opportunity for the [consumer electronics] companies in this room," he declared.

Both lines fit into what Intel predicts will be a shift in the way the internet works. For Otellini, this means turning the current order of the web on its head.

"Rather than us going to the internet, the internet is going to come to us and give us the tools we need at any given time for any given situation," he said. "You may argue over when this will happen, but I believe it is inevitable. "