英特爾新處理器能否助推PC銷售?
????周一上午,英特爾(Intel)在舊金山舉行的媒體發(fā)布會上推出了第三代酷睿(Core)處理器。這種代號為Ivy Bridge的新處理器現(xiàn)在可用于桌面電腦和普通的筆記本電腦,并且有望在未來幾個月里適用于超級本(Ultrabooks,可與蘋果MacBook Air相抗衡的超輕薄筆記本電腦)。 ????第三代酷睿處理器首次使用了英特爾的22納米3D Tri-Gate晶體管技術(shù)。這意味著什么?速度更快、能效更高的PC將會出現(xiàn)。誰關(guān)心PC呢?首先就是英特爾。 ????盡管近期發(fā)布了移動處理器,但英特爾遠遠算不上是快速發(fā)展的移動芯片市場的真正玩家。英特爾的身家性命還是維系在PC行業(yè)上。因此,英特爾將在未來數(shù)年拼命振興個人電腦需求,并保持摩爾定律。為此,這家總部位于圣克拉拉市的芯片制造商力推超級本,一種新的節(jié)能型超輕薄筆記本電腦。市場調(diào)研公司IDC估計,2012年超級本全球銷量將達3,000萬至4,000萬臺。即將發(fā)布的、以觸摸操作為最大特色的微軟Windows 8操作系統(tǒng)預(yù)計將催生采用英特爾處理器、平板和筆記本雙用的新型電腦。 ????不過,由英特爾的競爭對手英國公司ARM設(shè)計的芯片也將應(yīng)用于運行Windows 8的設(shè)備。因此,雖然這款新操作系統(tǒng)為英特爾再次施展PC魔法提供了機會,但也將帶來新的競爭。 ????但有件事情非常明確。與ARM不同,英特爾財大氣粗并且花起錢來毫不吝嗇,因此可以不遺余力地推廣超級本。他們邀請will.i.am(黑眼豆豆的靈魂人物)助陣,為超級本打造“酷”的形象。在周一上午舉行的媒體發(fā)布會上,英特爾還播放了一個制作精美的視頻介紹Ivy Bridge架構(gòu)處理器。 ????在當天發(fā)布的新聞稿里,英特爾宣稱新的處理器將“為PC帶來激動人心的新體驗和新樂趣”。更出色的性能、富媒體和圖像是很不錯,但普通的筆記本電腦買家更關(guān)心價格,而不是摩爾定律和最新最好的芯片技術(shù)。要想真正吸引消費者,英特爾必須不斷降低價格。預(yù)計到今年底,超級本的售價將在699美元左右,而新款MacBook Air的起步價則是999美元。 ????譯者:牽牛絮 |
????Intel (INTC) unveiled its third-generation Core processors at a press event in San Francisco Monday morning. The new chips, codenamed Ivy Bridge, are now available for desktop computers and regular laptops, and are expected to be in Ultrabooks -thin laptops that compete with Apple's (AAPL) MacBook Air -- in the coming months. ????These are the first chips developed using Intel's 22-nanometer 3-D tri-gate transistor technology. What does that mean? Faster, more energy efficient PCs are in the pipeline. Who cares about PCs? Well, Intel for starters. ????Despite recent announcements, Intel is far from being a real player in the fast-growing mobile chip market. Its bread-and-butter is still the PC industry, which is why the company is hell-bent on reinvigorating demand for personal computers and sustaining Moore's Law for years to come. To that end, the Santa Clara-based chipmaker is throwing its marketing muscle into Ultrabooks, the new category of thin, power-efficient laptops. Research firm IDC estimates that anywhere from 30 million to 40 million ultrabooks will be sold worldwide in 2012. And the upcoming launch of Microsoft's (MSFT) Windows 8 touch-centric operating system is expected to unleash a new breed of Intel-running, tablet-meets-laptop computers. ????Then again, competing chips designed by British company ARM Holdings will also be in Windows 8 devices, so while the new OS represents an opportunity for Intel to get some of its PC mojo back, it will also bring new competition to the table. ????One thing is clear—unlike ARM Intel is deep-pocketed and a savvy marketer, and it will continue to push the Ultrabooks category with all its might. The company has brought on musician will.i.am to help make Ultrabooks cool (he once referred to the laptops as a the new "ghetto blaster"). At Monday morning's press event Intel showed off a slickly-produced video highlighting its new Ivy Bridge chips. ????A release issued on the same day said the new processors will bring "exciting new experiences and fun to the PC." Better performance, rich media and graphics are great, but the average laptop buyer cares more about price than Moore's Law and the latest and greatest processing technology. To really attract consumers Intel will have to keep pushing price points down. By end of the year, Ultrabooks are expected to be offered for around $699, while new MacBook Airs start at $999. |