William - Re:"My perspective o Intel's Internet pjone, etc..."
Rather than selling a product on the internet, I believe Intel is trying to "seed" the internet with applications software that requires ever more computing power to utilize.
If a simple handset/microphone/speaker, A-D & D-A converter are all that are required from a "hardware" standpoint, the software to control, digitize, compress and transmit this "telephony signal" can be performed on a PC's microprocessor. The more processor power required, the more powerful processors Intel can sell. The MMX enhanced versions of the Pentium & Pentium Pro will fit this bill. In this regard, I think Intel is sowing the seeds that will be harvested at a future point in time with these new processors.
Add to this a future deployment of video (via MPEG, or PRO-Share, or whatever), and hopefully the demand for more powerful CPUs, made by who else (?), will increase.
Simply put, Intel is putting forth more reasons to purchase more complex PCs, and hopefully eschew simple network computer boxes.
Creating a future demand for new CPUs is the main objective of these efforts, and a good one at that.
Paul |
