I think we all have seen the Intel commercials, “bum, bum bum bum bum”. I remember about four years ago sitting in a mass communications class and hearing our teacher bring up the company Intel. At first, no one really knew what it was until he sang those five words. That year, we studied how Intel, which makes a product located inside PC’s, got its name out into the world. The idea was that people would ask for computers with “Intel Inside” and it worked.
In reading the Bloomberg Businessweek article, “Intel Wants to Be Inside Everything”, I learned a few more things about Intel and its Atom processors. As far as I knew, Intel created a chip that worked with computers. As it turns out, that’s just the basis for it. Who knew something so tiny could stretch to so many different products?
With the PC market slowing down, Intel is now looking to “get inside” other things. Nautilus puts Intel’s Atom chip into its treadmills to stream Internet video and upload the times and distances of workouts. LG Electronics is using the Atom chips in street signs that will recognize the age, gender, etc. of those who pass by and change the advertising pitch accordingly. These chips are also making their way across the world. India banks use them as handheld terminals to serve rural areas without electricity.
Intel is also making it easier for customers to design products that use Atom processors. In 2009, Intel purchased Wind River systems, a company that designs operating systems for cars, mobile phones and industrial machinery. These operating systems “are the basic set of programs that control any device with a chip.” Now, Intel can get into more than just our computers.
Watch out! Intel could just be inside your next purchase.
No comments:
Post a Comment