Intel Atom Roadmap Provides Price Guidelines for Smartphones and Netbooks

Intel makes processors that many companies use in their products, but what it also does is propose, sometimes even impose, design conditions and price guidelines.

A recent report from Fudzilla states that, when it set up its roadmap for the next Atom series of central processing units, Intel also provided pricing guidelines for its product partners.

That is to say, it created a goal, of sorts, that device makers will have to try and meet, if not immediately then at least eventually.

According to the rumor, Intel wants Atom-powered smartphones to hover around the $199 mark, or 153.01 Euro.

Meanwhile, netbooks that use next-generation units from this line are supposed to cost around $299, a sum which translates into 230 Euro.

Alas, in absence of a successful track record for this sort of thing, we cannot help but be rather skeptical.

After all, the Santa Clara, California-based company tried this sort of thing before and it still hasn't worked out.

To elaborate, ultrabooks are supposed to be sold for $600-$700 (461-538 Euro), but notebook makers are having trouble even going below $1,000 (770 Euro).

Going back to Intel's reported roadmap, the chip giant gave guidelines for other items as well, such as tablets and hybrid devices.

The former should sell for $399 to $499, or 307-384 Euro, while the latter got landed with the $699 price tag as a desired starting point (537.48 Euro).

All in all, Intel's ideas are not unreasonable, especially since its competitors, ARM, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments, already offer affordability.

Intel's Ultrabooks are expected to finally reach the price “sweet spot” this year, but it is not particularly heartening to realize that the products meant to reshape the PC market are taking more than half a year to achieve this.

If the rest of the Atom-based product line takes so long, chipzilla will have its work cut out for it.

Posted in: Hardware, News