intel

Intel CEO Paul Otellini is leaving his post in May. When that happens, don't expect some grubby outsider CEO to get his or her hands on the controls.

Speaking yesterday at the Sanford C. Bernstein Conference, Otellini acknowledged that he won't be able to decide who succeeds him, but said there's an overwhelmingly strong chance that the next Intel CEO already works there.

"I'm very comfortable with the internal candidates and the track record of internal versus external in our industry shows pretty clearly you want to stay inside if you can," Otellini said. … Read more

Qualcomm today announced that it has expanded an agreement between a subsidiary and Sharp and taken an equity stake in the ailing electronics maker.

Sharp and Qualcomm subsidiary Pixtronix already have a display technology agreement between them, according to Qualcomm. This new deal extends that partnership. The agreement centers on displays using Sharp's IGZO technology, which is widely considered one of the best options for visual quality in the industry.

As part of the agreement, Qualcomm has dropped some cash in Sharp, earning it a minority stake in the company.

Sharp saw its sales drop 16 percent year-over-year to … Read more

The automotive presence at CES 2013 looks to be stronger than ever, with an array of aftermarket and GPS companies joined by some of the leading tech pioneers among automakers. In addition, equipment suppliers such as Nvidia, Intel, and Freescale show off their latest automotive-oriented chips.

Big iron Both Ford and Audi will run major press conferences at the Mandalay Bay. During last week's Los Angeles Auto Show, a Ford spokesman told us to expect big tech announcements at CES without being specific on what they were. We expect Ford to show off the latest iteration of its MyFord Touch … Read more

Intel is on a mission to cut the power consumption of its chips. But that's not only future silicon. The current Ivy Bridge chip will get throttled down too.

Intel will cut power consumption "significantly" for future versions of the chip, an industry source familiar with the chipmaker's plans told CNET.

Intel's most power efficient Ivy Bridge chips today -- used widely in Windows ultrabooks and Apple's MacBook Air -- are rated at 17 watts.

A future version of Ivy Bridge would be rated well below this, the source said. Processors able to throttle … Read more

RBC Capital Markets has a new twist to the frequent Apple-Intel relationship rumors, and this time, it could actually be good news for Intel.

According to RBC analyst Doug Freedman, Apple may be contemplating a new relationship where Intel would build Apple's self-designed ARM-based smartphone chips in exchange for Apple using Intel's X86 processors in certain new devices, like the next-generation iPad.

While it may seem illogical for Apple to use different processors in its mobile devices, that could be one way for it to secure enough capacity and use chips on the leading edge of technology. After … Read more

Microsoft's Windows 8 Pro version of the Surface tablet got a cool reception today when pricing was disclosed and comments surfaced about battery life, but keep in mind that the core electronics scream ultrabook, not tablet.

After Microsoft announced pricing this morning, it was immediately panned for being too expensive and reportedly getting half of the battery life of the RT version.

Both legitimate concerns. Let's focus on battery life first.

Battery: A quick look at the specs tells you it's pretty close to an ultrabook -- and really thin ultrabooks, not unlike the Surface Pro's … Read more

MacRumors is reporting that a fix is in the works for a display flickering problem on Apple's latest Mac Mini models.

The flickering problem, in which the screen intermittently goes black for a few seconds, has been outlined by a number of new 2012 Mac Mini users, who report that it occurs when their systems are connected to HDMI video devices.

This problem seems isolated to HDMI connections and does not affect DisplayPort connections through the Thunderbolt port on the Mac.

Some experiencing this problem have suspected their televisions and display devices to be the root of the problem, … Read more

Ailing electronics maker Sharp might soon receive a cash infusion from a few prominent technology companies.

Dell, Intel, and Qualcomm are all in talks with Sharp to invest some cash in the company, The Wall Street Journal is reporting today, citing sources who claim to have knowledge of the discussions. Sharp has reportedly asked both Dell and Intel for a $240 million infusion in return for equity or debt. Qualcomm's investment would likely be smaller.

This isn't the first time we've heard reports of Intel and Qualcomm considering an investment in Sharp. Reuters reported earlier this month … Read more

The end of the desktop is near, according to reports trickling out over the last few days.

Changes in the way Intel connects its processors to the circuit board may signal broad changes to the desktop PC as we know it today.

Desktop processors are attached to the PC's main circuit board (aka motherboard) via a socket. Intel processors compatible with that socket are then inserted by the end user, be it an enthusiast or PC supplier.

This is the design that is in danger of disappearing, reports claim.

Mobile processors, on the other hand, are soldered directly to … Read more