![]() The percentage of people using our processors may be fixed, but there is still a growing number of users.” ![]() I asked the spokesman for the venerable wafer-maker – which was until very recently in the iron grip of the cagey, white-coated Hungarian Andy Grove – why it had gone into the fun business? Does the company actually make money on these competitively priced peripherals? Or is fun stuff a loss leader? Is this n roundabout attempt to drive sales of P3s? The spokesman coughed and gave the diplomatic answer: “Intel is never in the business of losing money … we aim to extend the usage of the PC. It works better on a T1, obviously, but for only $79 you get a set-top camera that takes video and stills, which can be turned into greeting cards. If you’re running a P3 processor, the Intel PC Camera Pack lets you video conference with Grandma on full screen at quite reasonable quality. The company’s been plugging away at video telephony for years now (rather like IBM’s puppy-dog persistence with speech recognition software) and the next level has been attained. So the kids will have a happy holiday (at least, the nerdy ones), but what of the adults? Intel makes toys for them, too. This is because its “17 extra instructions” handle graphics extra well. The microscope performs optimally, the Intel spokesperson told me, with a P3 chip, the latest Pentium, in the 450 Mhz-plus bracket. The software allows you to record what you view, tweak the graphics, turn it into a slide show, add music – all those things the six-to-12 age group expects of a homework project these days. Apparently, this is very big with the six-to-12 demographic. It allows you to view specimens – the cubic structure of a salt grain, the hidden writing on a five dollar bill – on a monitor, so you can share them with others. At $99, in blue plastic and with chunky buttons, it plugs into the USB port of your PC. ![]() In stores this September is the Intel Play QX3 Computer Microscope, designed in conjunction with Mattel. ![]() The dancing nuclear power plant worker was just the beginning. INTEL, the venerable chip manufacturer, has gone all pop on us. ![]()
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February 2023
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