Intel targets enterprise customers with first tablet wave

Intel Corp roped in device makers such as Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Hewlett Packard Co on Thursday to showcase tablets powered by its new Atom processor - a chip it hopes will help it biannually break into that crowded market.

Intel initially brushed off any threat from tablets such as Apple Inc's iPad, but now hopes the combination of a low power consuming processor with touch friendly Microsoft Corp Windows 8 software will win over enterprise customers looking to deploy tablets, but keep PC-based software and hardware.

The world's largest chip maker says the Atom Z2760 - formerly code named Clover Trail - is tailored to work with the latest version of Microsoft's operating system, due in late October. Tablets that use both the Atom and Widows 8 will be able to run widely used software such as Word and Excel, while connecting to peripherals such as printers.

It also lengthens battery life, enabling tablets to run 10-plus hours of streaming high- definition video, said Intel applications processor division chief Eric Reid.

Targeting corporations and government agencies means the first wave of Intel-powered tablets and tablet-laptop hybrids will avoid the worst of the consumer war now raging between Google Inc and Amazon.com Inc.

These new Atom-based tablets have been targeted at spaces where Intel and Microsoft can win, the enterprise market, and as an alternative to a notebook, said Patrick Moorhead, head of Moor Insights and Strategy.

Dell Inc, Acer Inc, Asustek Computer Inc  and ZTE Corp round out the half-dozen PC makers that trotted out their upcoming tablets, some of which sport a detachable keyboard or stylus designed to support free-form drawing and writing.

Every tablet shown today does what neither an iPad or  Kindle Fire HD does well, which is creating content and controlling via a keyboard and track pad, he said. This provides differentiation while not going head to head with Apple and Amazon.

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