For the first time since the introduction of the Pentium III chip
family in late 1999, Intel has moved to a smaller, more efficient
processor architecture for a new line of mobile chips.
According to Intel officials, the 1.13GHz Pentium III-M - formerly
codenamed Tualatin and featuring an "M" suffix that stands for
"mobile" - runs at cooler temperatures while consuming less power
than its predecessors.
Headed by Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Sony, the vast majority of PC
manufacturers have announced that they intend to introduce laptop
computers utilising the new chip.
The Pentium III-M chip is engineered to a 0.13-micron fabrication
standard. Since October 1999, Intel's Pentium III, Celeron, Xeon
and Pentium 4 chips have all been built on a larger 0.18-micron
architecture.
The Pentium III-M's smaller transistor relays result in faster
performance, cooler operating temperatures and reduced power
consumption, making it ideal for mobile computers and low-heat
server blades.
Hewlett-Packard has already unveiled a new HP OmniBook 6100
utilising the Pentium III-M. The 6100 takes advantage of the chip's
low-power capabilities to offer users up to five hours of operation
on a single battery charge and a wide range of features, including
802.11 wireless connectivity for LANs, ATI Technology's Mobility
Radeon M6-P video controller and options for CD-ROM or
DVD-ROM.
IBM yesterday introduced a new ThinkPad T23 laptop featuring the
Pentium III-M. With an average three-hour battery life, the
ThinkPad T23 offers 802.11 wireless capabilities as well as
expanded multimedia options.
Sony is to use the Pentium III-M chip in a new VAIO GR laptop which
will be unveiled next week. The GR line represents what Sony refers
to as its first attempt to court companies in north America that
use large numbers of laptops.
Compaq hopes to get up to eight hours of battery life using the
Pentium III-M chip in a new Compaq N200 laptop scheduled to be
unveiled later this year. The N200 will offer a full range of
features including 802.11b wireless options, the 1.13GHz Intel
chip, 128MBytes of memory, a 20GByte hard drive, two USB ports and
a 10.4-inch XGA TFT display.
Toshiba will also introduce a new Tecra model laptop computer with
the Pentium III-M chip in the third quarter of this year.
According to industry analysts, the arrival of the Pentium III-M
spells the beginning of the end for Pentium III desktop chips.
Insight 64's Nathan Brookwood said, "The Pentium III brand on
desktops will definitely fade over the course of the next two or
three quarters.
"By early 2002, it's going to be hard to find anybody actively
promoting Pentium III on desktops. The Pentium III-M will be the
central player in Intel's mobile strategies for the next 18
months."