Dubai: Advanced Micro Devices is geared up to take on Intel’s low-powered processors that run on certain Windows 8 devices later this year.
“2013 is the year for AMD to boost its market share and make a bonus as we have a strong roadmap for the future,” Saurabh Arora, head – OEM sales and alliances, AMD Middle East and North Africa, told Gulf News.
AMD will be launching one processor each in the first half and second half.
He said AMD’s roadmap for tablet is by end of 2013 or beginning of 2014. “We are in discussions with Asus, HP, Lenovo and Toshiba for tablets. We are way behind in the tablet space, but we are directly entering into the hybrid space. Our next line-up will be on embedded chips on mobile phones,” he said.
Hybrid computers are ones which can be used as a tablet as well as a notebook with a docking station and it is also known as convertibles.
Intel’s ultra-thin notebooks failed in the market “because of price factor.” “An Intel i7 processor on ultra-thin notebook is priced at Dh5,000, but we have taken it down to Dh2,999 with the launch of Asus 13.3-inch U38N,” he said.
"Last year, the average price of ultra-slim notebooks shipped into the Gulf region was higher than $1,100. We expect to see a greater adoption of lower-priced ultra-slim notebooks in the region in coming years, bringing down the average price to below $800" - Fouad Rafiq Charakla, Research Manager at IDC, told Gulf News.
Out of the 1.2 million portable computers to be shipped in the first quarter of this year in the Gulf, Charakla said that ultra-slim notebooks share will be 10 per cent and this is expected to grow to 13 per cent for 2013.
“Our new turbo docking technology to be used in hybrid devices will boost performance by 40 per cent when the tablet and the dock are connected together as the CPUs in both the tablet and dock talk to each other without sacrificing battery life or performance,” he said.
Industry experts said that AMD stands to make billions from new deals signed with console manufactures.
“AMD technology is inside all known next-gen consoles: the Nintendo Wii U which leverages semi-custom AMD Radeon GPU technology, and the Sony PS4 which is powered by a semi-custom AMD APU. AMD graphics technologies also power the Nintendo Wii U and Microsoft Xbox 360,” he said.
The demand for PCs will fall slightly, he said and added that the recycle period of a computer has increased and people buying second and third devices are going to be tablets.
“The demand for tablets will fall slightly in the second half while the demand for hybrids will increase as bring your own device concept will drive commercial use of PCs,” Arora said.
