Maxwell - Re: "PII-333 notebook is nowhere to be seen."
That's true - Intel hasn't announced a 333 MHz Mobile Pentium II - yet.
But below you can SEE where Intel's 300 MHz Mobile Pentium II is found in notebook PCs.
EIGHT Notebook vendors announced 300 MHz Pentium II notebooks when Intel announced the chip a few weeks ago.
Why was AMD only capable of scaring up ONE vendor, Compaq, which happens to sell the 300 MHz Intel notebook as well ?
That seems to give Intel at least an 8:1 advantage, wouldn't you think?
You do think, don't you?
Paul
{===========================}
infoworld.com
Vendors roll out notebooks with Intel's
300-MHz chip
By Nancy Weil and Ephraim Schwartz
InfoWorld Electric
Posted at 1:00 PM PT, Sep 9, 1998
With the promise to have "something for everyone," the full array of notebook system OEMs
Wednesday officially launched 300-MHz notebooks in dozens of form factors and price ranges.
Intel's 300-MHz mobile Pentium II processor - announced Wednesday and to date the chipmaker's most
powerful CPU in that market -- uses a technology called Quick Start that drops power consumption to 0.4
watts when the machine is idle or inactive, the company said. The low-power mode helps preserve battery
life.
The processor is based on the same microarchitecture, packaging, and thermal specifications as the
mobile 233-MHz and 266-MHz mobile Pentium II processors that were released in April and so do not
require new system design engineering by PC vendors, according to Intel officials.
Many PC makers announced new machines running on the new Pentium II 300-MHz:
Dell Computer Corp. (http://www.dell.com) announced a variety of new systems, including an
Inspiron 7000 consumer model weighing a whopping 8.9 pounds and including a 15-inch active
matrix screen for under $3,000. On the corporate side, the 5.8-pound Latitude CPi 300XT will
include the Intel 300-MHz mobile Pentium II, a 13.3-inch thin-film transistor (TFT) screen, 64MB of
RAM, a 4.0GB hard drive, and a 24-speed CD-ROM drive for $3,200. The Latitude line will now
include an innovation the company is calling "Strike Zone," a raised piece of plastic underneath the
hard drive to protect the unit over time because Dell research shows that users are not gentle when
placing notebooks down on a tabletop.
NEC Corp. (http://www.nec.com) announced two new models in its Versa line. The Versa SX is a
thin and light design weighing 4.8 pounds that will be offered with both an Intel 266-MHz Pentium II
and a 300-MHz version. The 300-MHz version with a 14.1-inch display, 64MB of RAM, and a 3.2GB
hard drive will cost $3,899. The Versa LX is a three-spindle design that weighs 6.8 pounds and in a
300-MHz version will also cost $3,899 with a similar configuration to the SX.
Direct marketer Gateway Inc. (http://www.gateway.com) will also offer 300-MHz models across its
Solo notebook product line. On average, models with the Intel 300-MHz Pentium II chip will increase
$200 over the 266-MHz version, company officials said. The Solo 2500SE now sells for $2,499 with
a 300MHz Pentium II processor, a 12.1-inch screen, 32MB of synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), a 2GB
hard drive, and a CD-ROM drive. Included in this configuration is a 12.1-inch display.
Compaq Computer Corp. (http://www.compaq.com) released the Armada 6500 series, which is the
first mobile line since the company acquired Digital Equipment, and announced the upcoming
release of the Armada 3500 line.
The 6500 series features the Pentium II 300-MHz processor and also has a 14.1-inch
high-resolution screen, a 6.4GB hard drive, 64MB of SDRAM, a 512KB Level 2 cache, a CD-ROM
drive, a 56Kbps modem, and a 10/100Base-T Ethernet connection. Machines with Windows 95 are
available now for $4,999. Models with Windows NT 4.0 will be out later this quarter for $5,099.
The Armada 3500, due out later this month, is the lightest and thinnest notebook in the line,
weighing 4.4 pounds and measuring 1.3 inches. One version in the 3500 series comes with Intel's
266-MHz Pentium II and has a 12.1-inch display, a 4.1GB drive, and 32MB of SDRAM expandable
to 160MB. It costs $3,299 with Windows 95 or $3,399 with Windows NT 4.0. The version with the
300-MHz Pentium II weighs 4.7 pounds, measures 1.3 inches, and has a 13.3-inch screen, a 6.4GB
hard drive, and 64MB of SDRAM, expandable to 192MB. It costs $4,299 with Windows 95 or
$4,399 with NT 4.0.
Compaq also is launching new models in its existing 7800, 7400, and 1700 Armada series
featuring the new 300-MHz mobile processor.
Hewlett-Packard Co. (http://www.hp.com) is extending its OmniBook 7100 and 2100 notebook
series to run on the Pentium II 300-MHz processor. The 7150 will be out next month and will feature
a 14.1-inch display, an 8.1GB hard drive, 64MB of SDRAM expandable to 320MB, a CD-ROM
drive, and Windows NT 4.0 or a dual load of Windows 95 and Windows 98. The machine will cost
$4,999.
The OmniBook 2100 is available now for $3,399 and includes a 13.3-inch display, 4.0GB hard
drive, a multimedia graphics accelerator, a CD-ROM, and is loaded with either Windows 95,
Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0.
IBM Corp. (http://www.ibm.com) enhanced its ThinkPad line with the 380Z series. Available now, the
series ranges in price from $2,599 to $3,299, although the low end of the price spectrum operates
on a Pentium II 233-MHz processor.
The new 300-MHz processor starts at $3,199 and includes a 32MB hard drive, a 13.3-inch display,
and a CD-ROM, operating on Windows 98. A version operating on Windows NT 4.0 is due out later
at the higher end of the price range and will offer the same hard drive and display.
Micron Electronics Inc. (http://www.micronpc.com) extended its GoBook2 and TransPort Trek2
lines. Both are available now. The GoBook2 300 starts at $2,999 with a 3.2GB hard drive and
32MB of RAM. The TransPort Trek2 costs $2,999 and features a 3.2GB hard drive and 64MB of
RAM.
In related news from Compaq, the company officially launched Wednesday its 450-MHz Intel Pentium II
desktops. The company previously indicated it would not make this announcement along with other
vendors in August until they were ready to ship the product.
The Compaq Deskpro EN series with the 450-MHz chip, up to a 14.4GB hard drive, and 32-speed
CD-ROM drive will start at $2,069. The Deskpro EP Series will start at $2,299 with the same chip.
Intel Corp., in Santa Clara, Calif., can be reached at intel.com.
Nancy Weilis a correspondent in the Boston bureau of the IDG News Service, an InfoWorld affiliate.
Ephraim Schwartz is an editor-at-large for InfoWorld.
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