Brian Krzanich, Intel’s new CEO, announced that he would oversee the swift rollout of tablets, smartphones and wearable devices, thus allowing consumers make the gradual transition away from personal computers. Krzanich was a manufacturing guru at Intel before taking over as the Chief Executive Officer in May. Krzanich also voiced his opinion on the possibility of the chipmaker’s venture into the television sector, claiming that Intel is still looking at the business model before actually entering into the same. In what was his first sit-down since the appointment in May, Krzanich and Intel President Renee James said that wearable devices would become a key battleground for mobile market players in the near future.
Krzanich asserted that more products like the Google Glass could be expected in the future. The focus has now shifted to manufacturing items for the eyes and ears. He claimed that the market will now see frequent releases of ‘smart’ wrist bands and watches. When questioned on the timeline on when consumers can expect these products; a reply of “sometime around the end of this year to the start of next year” was provided. The new CEO also added that teams at Intel have already begun working on the integration of the aforementioned objects with silicon. The behaviour of these objects will thus be understood and consequently an ecosystem would be created.
The world’s largest chipmaker has been dominant in the PC market; however, its stride into the smartphone and tablet sector has been slow and shallow. Intel is looking to accelerate in this sector and ensure that it doesn’t fall behind in the future of mobile technology. Atom mobile chips will be given top priority under the current administration. This is in contrast to the past, that saw time and resources being dedicated towards the design of powerful PC chips.
President James announced that Intel will look at growing its chip manufacturing business, which would serve as a significant source of revenue for the company in the long run. Adopting a similar approach as his predecessor, Krzanich left open the possibility of opening Intel’s factories to its customers making chips designed with architectures that compete against Intel’s own arsenal. Apple, Samsung and several other smartphone vendors prefer processors which employ architecture provided by ARM, a trend that Intel is looking to change. Reports from the Wall Street indicate that Intel could soon sign a potential deal to manufacture chips for Apple’s iPhone.
