Intel has officially launched its Centrino package, which
includes the latest addition to the company's mobile processor
line-up alongside a companion chipset and a wireless LAN
chip.Centrino is based around the Pentium M
processor, formerly known as Banias, which incorporates a chip
architecture that is different to that used with Intel's other
mobile processors, such as the Pentium 4-M. The result is a chip
that offers greater performance and longer battery life than the
Pentium 4-M.
The company introduced four standard versions
of the Pentium M processor running at speeds of 1.6GHz, 1.5GHz,
1.4GHz, and 1.3GHz. Intel is also offering a low-voltage version
that runs at 1.1GHz for and an ultra-low-voltage chip running at
900MHz.
The Pentium M offers higher performance than
the Pentium 4-M, according to Intel, which said the 1.6GHz Pentium
M offers a 13% to 15% improvement in performance over the 2.4GHz
Pentium 4-M. The 1.6GHz Pentium M also offers 76% longer battery
life than the 2.4GHz Pentium 4-M, Intel claimed.
The lower clock speeds, however, may puzzle
end users who have become accustomed to Intel's emphasis on the
connection between higher clock speeds and greater performance.
However, Kitty Fok, director of personal
systems research at analyst group IDC said, "Just looking at the
CPU speed doesn't reflect the actual performance anymore."
Hoping to avoid confusion among users and
potential customers, Intel is pushing the Pentium M and Pentium 4-M
processors to different market segments.
The Pentium M and Centrino target mobile users
who want wireless LAN access and longer battery life. The Pentium
4-M, on the other hand, is intended for what Intel calls the
portability market, essentially users who carry their notebooks
from one office to another.
In addition to the Pentium M processor,
Centrino includes an Intel 855 chipset, which supports a 400MHz
front-side bus, and the Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 wireless LAN chip.
The 855GM chipset also includes integrated graphics based on
Intel's Extreme Graphics 2 technology.
Among the suppliers that showed off
Centrino-based PCs at CeBit were Acer, Fujitsu, IBM, Legend Group,
NEC, Samsung Electronics, Sanyo and Toshiba.
Intel expected to see Centrino account for 30% of all mobile
processors by the end of this year and for half of mobile sales for
high-end laptops.