Posted on Tuesday, January 23 2007 @ 0:45 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
DigiTimes
reports Intel's plans to promote its ultra-mobile device (UMD) platform in the second half of this year will likely become a major threat to VIA in the UMPC market:
Intel had previously pushed for its UMPC platform, and had seen Microsoft, Samsung electronics, and Asustek Computer adopt its processors for their UMPCs. However the high prices and high power consumption hampered its popularity, the sources said, adding that later Microsoft and Samsung adopted VIA's processors.
But Intel is expected to soon launch a chipset incorporating a processor, northbridge and southbridge chips for the UMD platform, the sources said. The Intel platform, with its processor said to be better in performance and lower in prices than VIA's C7-M, will threaten the VIA's share in the UMPC market, the sources commented.
Michael Chen, who is in charge of Intel's embedded systems for the Asia-Pacific region, said the value of UMD lies in its connectivity and platformization.
