[getPhone]
Intel and its hardware partners Asus, Dell, and HP are finally coming into the tablet market – two years after the iPad launched.
Starting this month, all three companies are making announcements about their tablets, and many of them are already teasing at their versions of the Windows 8 tablets and convertible devices that analysts are calling “the next big thing.”
Some of the devices have already been revealed by their makers, such as the Dell’s Latitude 10 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2, but a few companies are holding out until October to show off their new products. Most, if not all, of the devices being launched this year to compete with the iPad for the holiday season feature Intel’s “Clover Trail” Atom Processor. The processor is so efficient and light that tablets can be as thin as 8.5 mm and weigh as little as 1.5 pounds apiece. Intel is even saying that the chip encourages extensive battery life, including an almost three-week standby average.
Intel has mentioned a few other details about Clover Trail, including the NFC that allows Bluetooth and other devices to pair with their tablets in just a single tap. Clover Trail also supports up to an 8MP camera, WiFi, and 4G LTE Internet Speed (and when not available, 3G). As for the rest of the details, Intel says that the chip will need to be experienced to understand the full extent of its capabilities – which means buying a Windows 8 tablet from one of its partner companies.
Microsoft, Intel, and all of the PC-enthusiasts are late to the party, but late is better than never. Apple launched the iPad in April of 2010 and the Android and Samsung tablets are already on second and third generation devices. However, the Microsoft tablets are much anticipated, and some analysts believe that they will take a significant amount of the market for this quarter.
