“Intel Corp. said its investment arm is allocating $300 million to help encourage innovation around a breed of ultra-thin portable PCs that the chip maker calls Ultrabooks,” Don Clark reports for The Wall Street Journal.
“Intel is quick to acknowledge that the Ultrabook effort was in large part inspired by Apple Inc.’s iPad tablet and particularly its sleek MacBook Air,” Clark reports. “The latter was recently updated with Intel’s latest microprocessors and has been selling much more briskly than most laptop PCs running Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating system.”
Clark reports, “‘To date if you wanted that sleek design you had to buy a Mac,’ said Greg Welch, director of Intel’s Ultrabook group, in an interview last week. ‘There are people who want a PC in that form factor.'”
MacDailyNews Take: A Mac is a “PC” (personal computer). So much so that it can even slum it by running Windows natively or via fast virtualization.
Clark reports, “Welch said Apple informed Intel that it better drastically slash its power consumption or would likely lose Apple’s business. ‘It was a real wake-up call to us,’ he said.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Apple’s A6 processor for iOS devices: 28-nm, 3D IC and likely made by TSMC; could show up in future Macs – July 15, 2011
TSMC in trial manufacture of Apple ‘A6′ chips – July 15, 2011
With ‘A6′ chip, Apple likely to move SoC production away from Samsung in 2012 – June 27, 2011
RUMOR: Apple inks deal with TSMC foundry for A5 processor; possible setback for Samsung – March 9, 2011
RUMOR: Apple to dump Intel for Apple ARM-based chips within 24-36 months – May 6, 2011
