Intel
Future-Proofs Design
There have been mixed reactions from analysts and enterprises to a bold
initiative by Intel to create a smoother PC upgrade cycle.
Intel’s Transition Management progra-mme
aims to create a more stable en-viron-ment for IT managers by guaranteeing
Intel’s motherboards will accommodate future processor designs or higher
systems.
Intel will ensure that its current chipsets – such as the BX – will be
compatible with the Katmai processor when it is launched, so corporate users who
have upgraded their processors, will not have to change the motherboard or buy a
complete new system. The initiative responds to the growing acceptance of thin
client computing, which lets IT managers leave the PC upgrade treadmill
altogether.
The new generation of processors begin with Katmai, which will work with
existing BX motherboards. Intel said that when corporate customers decide to buy
new systems, they will move to the latest 820 chip-- set, which will be
compatible with the next scheduled processor release.
Marc Vodovar, market research manager at Texas Instruments’ semiconductor
group, is sceptical. "It is not in the tradition of the computer industry
to act in this way," he said. "Maybe once the market is saturated
[with PC systems] you can stabilise the technology." But Vodovar does not
expect this to happen in the near future. Meanwhile, the largest PC vendors,
which, like Intel, base their business models on rapid obsolescence of PC
clients, have already begun offering desktop systems that will not change over a
certain period of time. However, the current expected lifecycles are still too
short to enable organisations to make long-term buying plans with any degree of
confidence.
"Customers have been tell-ing us technology is changing too
rapidly," said Steve Torbe, product marketing manager for Compaq PC products. He said though corporate
customers do not mind upgrading pro-cessors, they want their basic product
platform to stay the same. "Since May, we have been supplying the DeskPro
EN range, which uses the same chipset and software drivers for all processors.
We won’t launch a product into the DeskPro EN range with a product lifecycle of
less then six months." Compaq currently expects a maximum lifecycle of
around 14 months, and is in talks with Intel in the US to try to increase this
figure.
Dell has been offering its Optiflex range of desktop systems with a product
lifecycle guarantee for the past three years, while Compaq launched its ‘stable’
corporate systems earlier this year. "One of the problems is the timing of
buying a product with a set lifecycle. If an IT manager buys a system at the
beginning of the cycle, he will have the full 18 months ahead, but if he buys
after 17 months, he will have a very short lifecycle," said Nick Eades,
head of marketing for Optiflex.
"Next year is going to be all about transition management because PC
vendors have gone from ann-ouncing products to ambushing customers with
discontinued lines and technologies. Let’s calm all this down." Source: ZDNet UK Copyright (C)
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