AI
Tuesday, January 28, 2014 3:04:56 PM
If Intel doesn't get decent share in mobile, it has no real growth avenues.
I'm not sure that's true... or said another way... it depends.
I went to Best Buy the other day, and saw a ton of new detachable laptops, like this one.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-vaio-tap-11-11-6-2-in-1-touch-screen-laptop-4gb-memory-128gb-solid-state-drive-black/1996011.p?id=1219068209429&skuId=1996011#tab=overview
Do you consider this a "mobile" device, or a laptop? It's kind of in the middle, actually, and the price point is not half bad. It's a full productivity machine for $100 less than an iPad with similar sized storage, and yet functions just fine for on the road.
I think as this category grows, it could fill in the middle between a PC and a mobile device, while growing the segments that Intel currently has leadership. I think if people need a device to carry around that does real work, they would opt for one of these over a plain tablet.
The Best Buy store was actually filled with new 2-in-1 laptops and all-in-one desktop models. Probably the best and most innovative set of machines represented with Intel I've ever seen. Further, Best Buy took all the tablets out of the PC section and put them in the phone section, where now they look like a bunch of cheap and non-noteworthy devices. You almost walk past them without noticing.
I can't help but feel like the tide is turning, and as the tablet market matures, the craze to buy them moderates to a shallower growth curve, and people go back to upgrading their PCs with newer generation form factors. The next upgrade cycle could be a big one for Intel.
