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The Home PC is already the center of creativity, entertainment and education in many households. Over 40% of U.S. households currently own a PC. The opportunity exists today to target both repeat buyers and new users with Performance PC designs focused on new capabilities and uses that fulfill home user needs. With the advent of the Pentium® II processor and Dual Independent Bus (DIB) architecture, and new platform technologies such as AGP, USB and DVD, the Performance PC is bringing new capabilities to both experienced consumers and first-time buyers. Intel's Pentium II processor, when combined with the Internet and the emergence of PC photo processing, video editing, 3D graphics, digital audio, and video phones, is changing the way we work, learn, play, and communicate.
Advancing the processor and platform technologies is critical to driving new levels of performance and capability that enable new and exciting PC platform uses. These new platform technologies go hand in hand with the enhanced capabilities of the Pentium II processor. Now available at speeds up to 400 MHz, the Pentium II processor combines the advanced features of Intel's sixth-generation processor, like Dynamic Execution and Dual Independent Bus architecture, with the enhanced multimedia and communications processing power of MMX™ technology.
The Pentium II processor delivers the best performance on all three vectors of computing: integer execution, delivering higher performance on all consumer software; floating point, delivering improved 3D graphics for more realistic images and games; and multimedia, using MMX technology to deliver improved imaging, video, and communications. When combined with Intel's newest AGP chip set, arcade quality graphics and DVD are possible now on Performance PCs for the mainstream consumer.
PC Enthusiasts tend to demand the best PC performance in order to be ready for new and exciting applications. Multipurpose PCs are evolving into special categories focused to meet the needs of these consumers. Two major trends have emerged in consumer PC usage today: creativity and entertainment. Intel is enabling platform improvements that support these trends through the Creativity PC and the Entertaining PC initiatives. These initiatives are intended to enhance the value of the Home PC platform for Creativity, Entertainment, Education and Communication applications.
The Creativity PC enables enhanced multimedia and imaging capabilities such as:
- Personal photography and albums
- Audio mixing and remixing
- Video editing
- Communicating your creations with family and friends
The emergence of low-cost digital cameras with USB connectivity is making the Creativity PC a hot new category this year. These cameras utilize the PC processing power of the Pentium II processor with MMX technology to allow you to capture, store, edit, and send digital photos over the Internet.
The Entertaining PC takes the traditional consumer desktop multimedia PC to a new level of capability using the Pentium II processor, DIB architecture, AGP, DVD, and AC '97 Audio. Consumers who enjoy games and edutainment will now be able to experience a dramatic new level of 3D realism. With the inclusion of DVD drives, the Entertaining PC allows the user to play back high-quality DVD movies and take advantage of rich interactive DVD applications. With DVD, ISVs are taking advantage of the increased storage capacity to provide higher quality video, audio and graphics in games, edutainment and reference applications. Please see the following pages in Platform Solutions to learn how Intel is enabling these critical Entertaining PC platform technologies.
Family Room Technologies
Intel is also working on technologies to bring new digital broadcasts to the home. Set-Top computers to support digital video and data broadcasts over cable, terrestrial, or satellite are on the drawing boards.
The Education usage model views the PC as a powerful complementer to the traditional learning process, making the educational experience more interesting, interactive and fun for students of all ages. Creativity PCs and Entertaining PCs are ideal platforms for compelling new educational applications that include realistic 3D graphics, video, 2D and 3D audio, and Internet connectivity.
Developers might consider how they can add value in the growing educational applications market segment. For example, today's new Pentium II processor-based systems create the hardware headroom which will enable the emergence of powerful new 3D graphics education software applications during 1998. Fast bitmap animation, fast intuitive interfaces, and reference works containing detailed 3D simulations with smooth video and high-quality audio all have the potential to transform education for children. These learning tools will be enhanced further as DVD-based interactive software titles become available in increasing numbers in 1998. Most importantly, these new systems will not only support compelling teaching and learning applications for children around the world, these powerful new PCs will become increasingly affordable for use in schools.
Many users find compelling reasons to choose a Performance PC, however, for some new users on a budget, a Basic PC may be the right solution. Basic PCs are systems that meet the core computing needs and affordability requirements common to many new home and business users. To complement the Pentium II processor for Performance PCs and PC Enthusiasts, the Intel Celeron brand processors are being offered to provide a cost-effective solution for PC manufacturers designing Basic PC systems.
Home Network
In addition to the more traditional desktop PC usage in the home, Intel is exploring ways to enable multiple PCs in the home to communicate with one another, thus allowing shared peripherals, shared internet connections, shared files, multi-player gaming, and more. Research shows that there is a large segment of users who could take advantage of home networks. Research indicates a large opportunity for home networks. Intel recently announced a commitment to deliver home networking products in 1998.
Wireless Communication in the Home
In the connected home of the future, many PCs, peripherals, cordless telephones and consumer electronics devices will communicate and interoperate with one another. Intel is working with leading companies in an industry-wide organization to create an open specification this year for home wireless communication. To learn more about the announcement, read the press release. For more information on home wireless communication, please visit the HomeRF industry web site.
Connected Car
A connected home isn't complete without a connected car. Intel's Connected Car PC technology will offer options such as security, communications, real-time information, Internet access, entertainment, and navigation to drivers of the future. See Intel's Connected Car PC web site for more information.
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* Legal Information © 1998 Intel Corporation
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