NEWS Intel wants 2004 to be the year of Centrino and the chip giant is set to launch a huge marketing campaign to make that ambition a reality.
A combination of online, outdoor, print and television advertising will be geared towards increasing the adoption of its Centrino notebook chip bundle among the laptop-toting public worldwide.
Centrino has already been on the market for nearly a year and Intel has been marketing it to consumers since the summer of 2003. But so far consumers have been slow to adopt it.
Instead, the majority of notebooks equipped with Centrino or Pentium M have been purchased by businesses, according to analysts and PC makers. With its new campaign Intel will endeavour to shift consumers toward Centrino notebooks.
The ads will tout the notebooks' ability to "unwire", or detach, from a power line and a modem or an Ethernet network cable and to check email or surf the web using wireless networking.
The Centrino bundle includes an 802.11 wireless module, along with the Pentium M processor and an Intel chipset. Centrino offered only the 801.11b standard at first but Intel recently upgraded it with a dual-band 802.11b/g module. The module has since been working its way into new notebook models.
Despite Centrino's stated benefits - which also include long notebook battery life - Intel may find the task of changing consumers' taste to be difficult. Many consumers' have been paying less attention to weight and battery life.
Larger-sized notebooks, used as replacements for desktops, have become popular instead.
Still, manufacturers say that some people, often second- or third-time notebook buyers and frequent travellers, have opted for Centrino notebooks. The chip bundle has gradually increased its sales. It was in 10.8 per cent of notebooks sold at retail in December in the US, Centrino's highest percentage so far, said Steve Baker, an analyst with NPD Techworld.
"Intel's advertising has always been successful in the past. I have no doubt that it will drive people to be interested in that product," Baker said. "That's not the whole story, though. [Intel has] to get the [original equipment manufacturers] on board as well and they have to be able to create a product at the right price. If Centrino stays 20 per cent or more above the average price for a notebook at retail, it's going to be a tough sell."
John G Spooner writes for News.com
