Thursday, May 15,2008 @ 10:20am
Intel PR: No Apple Atom tablet in development
Intel is now denying any suggestion that an Atom-based tablet is in development by Apple, according to reports. Intel spokesman Mike Cato is quoted as saying that comments by German chief Hannes Schwaderer were misinterpreted; instead, says Cato, Intel merely believes that the iPhone is representative of a new kind of platform it is marketing, called the Mobile Internet Device (MID). The Atom is expected to form the heart of many MIDs, among other products, but there are no current plans to put an Atom CPU in a tablet, phone or any other piece of electronics made by Apple.
Apple would have a choice of two levels of processor, if it went with Atoms: 1.33, 1.6 and 1.86GHz chips meant for use in ultra-mobile or low-cost computers, or low-voltage 800MHz and 1.1GHz CPUs, intended for UMPCs and MIDs. Most smartphones use non-Intel processors clocked well below the 800MHz level.