Netbooks have become a grown stage business for Intel , but company executives seem less bullish on tablet PCs even as Apple ’s iPad boost interest in the gadget category .
Some companies have already shown off other tablet - flair computersusing Atom CPUsfrom Intel , and those twist will have entree to an Intel applications programme download store similar to that rill by Apple for its products including the iPad . But Intel executives interviewed this week give only modest predictions for the growth of tablets , or handheld touchscreen devices often used to view multimedia and channel-surf the Web .
“ These new categories are hard to call , ” said David Perlmutter , school principal of Intel ’s architecture group , at the Intel Developer Forum ( IDF ) in Beijing . “ We ’re quick with engineering to be able to support this food market as it develop . ”
Meanwhile , “ netbooks continue with a very firm pace , ” he aver . Intel plansto stick in a new twofold - core version of the Atom this quarter that may be aimed at netbooks . The company this workweek said netbook shipment were leveling off at about 20 pct of all consumer laptop computer purchase .
Tablets may not grow like netbooks have in the last pair of years . Microsoft begin prove to promote tablets years ago . Intel ’s app store , the AppUp Center , is designed for a chain of mountains of devices using Atom CPUs , include netbooks and smartphones as well as tablet .
“ This is by no means the first attempt at tablets , ” tell Justin Rattner , the point of Intel Labs . It ’s more of a “ third era ” for the devices , he said .
“ The jury is still out … but this round seems to be getting close to a form factor that believably has some legs , ” he enounce .
Ian Yang , president of Intel China , articulate there are “ a phone number ” of Chinese companies work on tablets with Atom CPUs .
One Taiwanese company , Teso , has testify off an Atom - power tablet personal computer design to look like an oversized iPhone , complete with a glossy black shell and an iPhone - style undivided push button below its screen .
