Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Intel Corporation (INTC) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Amy J who wrote (118179)	11/17/2000 3:24:28 AM
From: Barry Grossman	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 186894

Intel: Pentium 4 to unleash flurry of multimedia apps zdnet.com By Ken Popovich, eWEEK November 16, 2000 7:06 AM PT LAS VEGAS -- Intel Corp. is giving PC power users something new to feast on this Thanksgiving with the introduction Monday of the new Pentium 4, served up at speeds of 1.4GHz and 1.5GHz. The processor features a whole new architecture designed to enable far faster clock speeds (with Intel looking to release a 2GHz around the middle of next year) and to handle an expected surge in multimedia applications, said Paul Otellini, executive vice president and general manager of Intel's Architecture Group, during a news conference here this week at Comdex. While confirming the chip's launch, Intel officials did not disclose initial product prices and benchmark results. In support of the Pentium 4's launch, major PC makers on Monday will announce the immediate availability of systems featuring the chip. Among the companies expected to announce new systems are Acer, Dell Computer Corp., Compaq Computer Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co., Gateway Inc. and IBM. The Pentium 4 features 144 new instructions designed to boost performance in handling audio, video and 3D imaging encryption. "We really have tried to anticipate the growing application base for Internet applications and usage," said Otellini. Pedal to the metal As always, the first customers Intel expects to adopt the Pentium 4 are power users, but Otellini said Intel will aggressively ramp up production of the chip and hopes to have it featured in "a wide variety of computing platforms in the next few quarters." "We've targeted initial systems for a number of markets," he said. "Consumer enthusiasts obviously are the first target market for this because the power seekers always buy the fastest processors out there. We also believe we'll see adoption in businesses for, again, the power users inside of corporations." Although Intel said it's prepared for "high volume shipments out of the gate," Roger Kay, a PC analyst with International Data Corp., said he doesn't expect the chip's sales to really take off until the middle of next year. "The price is going to be very high initially, so only the performance wonks are going to want it," Kay said. "What's interesting is that Intel really wants to push this into the mainstream very fast." Why MP3 is key Intel is counting on the surging popularity of MP3 and similar music applications, as well as the increasing popularity of digital photography and gaming, to fuel Pentium 4 sales. "About 37 percent of all Internet users today, in one form or the other, are doing some sort of downloading of music, or creation of CDs -- ripping off CDs in their parlance," Otellini said. "Well, things like the creation of MP3 files from CDs on Pentium 4, because of the instructions we've added into the microprocessor and the capability of it, are much faster." In particular, the growing reliance on computers for film editing holds great potential for boosting Pentium sales, Otellini said. "I think one of the more interesting things of the PC is the evolution of video editing to everyone's PCs," he said. "Most of the major Hollywood studios now do their rendering, their creation, all on Intel architecture. What we see, though, is that capability is now moving to everyone's homes." The new processor will further fuel advances in multimedia, Otellini said, because it serves as an "enabling platform for software developers to be able to target and give us all a better class of applications over the next couple of years." To highlight the support the new chip has received from developers, Intel's Pentium 4 showcase here at Comdex features more than 60 different consumer and business applications that have been optimized to take advantage of the chip's new architecture.