The shape of technology is changing. Where once computers were boring beige boxes and laptops were square monstrosities, now they’re as much a fashion accessory as they are a way to get something done.
Apple and its iPad is routinely credited with being behind the shift, but in fact the revolution is as much about the processors at the heart of computers as it is about design. Intel remains a dominant force in laptops and PCs, and the company’s senior vice-president Tom Kilroy says that is unlikely to change. He claims that the
In case this sounds like yet more marketing bluster, it’s worth remembering that Intel makes serious money from the servers necessary to run tablets, phones and other connected devices.
Arguably a greater threat comes from machines such as Google’s Chromebook. This new breed of laptop uses the web for most storage and processing. Kilroy argues that the Chromebook has yet to offer the kind of computing power that many users need. He adds, however, that since Intel’s chips are in the Chromebook, too, the company is eager to embrace them as an opportunity for growth rather than a threat.
“What we’ve learnt,” says Kilroy, “is that consumers want products that are as high in the quality of their design as they are in the quality of their silicon.” He agrees that while Apple may have shown the way, “there’s money for Intel in great industrial design”.
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