Intel Makes a Push Into Pocket-Size Internet Devices
SAN FRANCISCO — Intel plans to proclaim Wednesday in Shanghai that the next big thing in consumer gadgets will be the “Internet in your pocket.” — The challenge for the giant chip maker will be to prove that it is not too late …
Context & Ripple Effects
Intel had been broadening its consumer ambitions beyond the PC, first through a home-focused computing strategy and then through repeated calls for Internet access in pocket-size devices. The Shanghai announcement turns that messaging into a branded platform push centered on Centrino Atom.
A February account had already cast Intel's pocket-Internet ambition alongside Apple; the immediate issue is whether Intel can translate its processor heritage into a consumer-device position before that framing hardens.
First-order effects
- Intel gives manufacturers of pocket-size Internet devices a Centrino Atom platform to evaluate, while making this category a visible test of its consumer strategy beyond PCs and the home.
- Intel's product and marketing teams must demonstrate that its platform belongs in compact consumer gadgets rather than merely declaring the category important.
Second-order effects
- Apple becomes the reference point Intel must contend with in the emerging pocket-Internet narrative, increasing pressure on Intel to win device-design support rather than rely on its established PC position.
- Component and device partners gain a clearer Intel-backed option for small connected devices, making platform selection a more consequential design decision.
Third-order effects
- If manufacturers adopt such platforms, consumer computing shifts further from fixed home and notebook products toward devices defined by persistent personal Internet access.
- The category would reward chip vendors that pair processing with a recognizable mobile platform, not only standalone processor performance.
The trend: Intel's pocket-device push is part of consumer computing's move from PC- and home-centered access toward personal, portable Internet platforms.