X-bit labs

Intel Corp. Promotes Interchangeable Laptop Components.

Category: Mobile

by Anton Shilov

[ 03/27/2006 | 11:21 PM ]

Following its strategy of platformization, Intel Corp. recently encouraged some notebook makers to unify commonly used components in notebooks so that to reduce repair time and allow users to change hardware uses in their mobile computers themselves.

“The market desires an interchangeability like there is for the desktop. There is an ecosystem built around the desktop PC. When you buy a hard drive, almost every single time, it fits in your tower. When you buy a graphics card it fits in the slot. When your notebook display cracks on an airplane you are talking about a 10-week waiting period for a spare part. You are without your notebook for too long,” said Steve Dallman, Intel’s director of American distribution and channel sales and marketing.

Intel has identified seven component categories – hard disk drive, optical drive, LCD panel, battery pack, customizable notebook panel, power adapters and keyboards – that can be built on common building blocks. The company announced the initiative during Intel Solutions Summit earlier this month and said that large notebook manufacturers Asustek Computer, Compal and Quanta were interested in being parts of such an initiative, according to The Channel Insider web-site.

While potentially Intel’s idea is an interesting one, it will work only for very mainstream notebooks, and even for them, interchangeable components will have to be available in plethora of form-factors and with plethora of extra features. For example, Lenovo ThinkPad notebooks feature keyboard that it totally different from the others in terms of tactile feelings and do not have “Windows” keys, whereas Sony’s laptops feature displays that are much better compared to others of the market. Neither of those companies would like to unify their products, as ThinkPad business customers pay for rugged quality keyboard, while those who buy Vaio are more interested in multimedia functionality.

Intel is also encouraging OEMs and system builders to begin designing systems built for the common, interchangeable components. The components would be verified by Intel, the report claims.