Intel no longer plans to turn its latest batch of
chipsets into wireless access points, citing a lack of interest
from PC suppliers and the proliferation of standalone access
points.
The Grantsdale chipsets, formally known as the 915G/P and 925X
chipsets, were rolled out in June and billed as a major change in
the technology that connects a PC's processor to its memory and I/O
functions.
Grantsdale added support for the PCI Express interconnect
technology, DDR2 (double data rate 2) memory, and improved audio.
The company also touted a feature called Intel Wireless Connect
that would let a PC host a wireless network.
In June, Intel said the technology was not ready to launch with
the rest of the chipset, but said it would arrive in limited
quantities later on in the year. That will no longer happen, an
Intel spokesman confirmed. The decision is not related to any
manufacturing issues with the technology; PC suppliers just simply
did not want it, he said.
Home users are increasingly interested in setting up wireless
networks within their homes. Some broadband internet service
providers (ISPs) such as SBC Communications offer discounted
wireless access points along with the installation of a broadband
internet connection.
Intel's access point was expected to be a bare-bones model
without many of the features and performance of standalone access
points, analysts said when Intel unveiled its plans last year.
Given the success that ISPs and PC suppliers have had selling
standalone access points, it is unclear whether PC suppliers would
have seen any additional demand for an integrated access point to
justify the higher cost of that feature.
Not content with dominating the market for PC processors, Intel
has moved in recent years to emphasise the total "platform" within
a PC, including the processor, chipset, wireless technology,
display technology, and several other areas outside of its usual
strength.
Adding features such as a wireless access point allows Intel to
improve the margins on its chipsets, a strategy that has worked
very well for Intel when it comes to features like integrated
graphics.
But little has gone as planned for Intel in 2004. The company
has endured product introduction delays across almost all of its
segments, manufacturing glitches, and persistent questions about
the architectural direction of its desktop and server
processors.
Tom Krazit writes for IDG News Service