Intel loves to influence the market. The Oak Trail platform was recently launched and over 35 tablet and hybrid designs were coming from a similar range of Samsung, Lenovo and others. A report issued on DigiTimes predicted Android 3.0 “Honeycomb” as a big part of the Intel’s tablet push and it seems apparent that throwing a $10 subsidy for each Intel’s tablet shipped in order to attract note book vendors will be Intel’s strategy.
This strategy is believed to have been designed after almost half a year of negotiations with Google and is included in the new “PRC Plus” plan that solicits the idea of Intel processors being more advantageous than the ARM-based processors basing on the strength of their performance.
Intel’s subsidy strategy might, after the last round of antitrust fees and settlements, raise a few eye brows but it may be a necessary move if rumors are true that the 1.5 GHz single core Atom Z670 will then cost merely a $75 to OEMs. The price is almost fifth of the retail price and equals four times the price of Nvidia Tegra2 priced at $20 for OEM orders.
The Atom is definitely more strong and capable of processing tasks much more quickly than the ARM-based designs though the graphics component awaits repair and management. The company announced that Android, Meego, and Windows, a 1080 p video decode, HDMI, Meego, etc will be released but after checking or testing the integrated graphic system.