Intel Strategy on Display

In that vein, Rau said Intel is likely to talk up the shift to PCI Express, a chip-to-chip interconnect standard that will allow faster data feeds between PCs and external gadgets. Down the road, as more software applications are written to take advantage of the shift, computer users will see benefits like faster networking and better graphics.

Among the products to take advantage of the standard will be Grantsdale, Intel's forthcoming chipset for high-end PCs, which will offer high-definition audio capabilities and an integrated wireless access point.

"What you're going to see is a pretty big focus on multimedia -- that will be a big drive for Intel this year," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the tech-focused Enderle Group.

In that vein, Intel has already touted a PC it helped design that can share digital content with televisions, which is expected to hit the market midyear. It will likely offer more comments at the developers forum on its plans for liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) chipsets intended for big-screen TVs. Intel has said that by 2005, its chips -- which will compete with offerings from Texas Instruments(TXN Quote) -- should force down prices for 50-inch and bigger TV sets below the $2,000 mark.

Another product with consumer appeal is wireless USB, a high-speed personal area network technology that allows PC users to quickly transfer data between their computer and external devices without messy cables.

In any case, this week's developers forum should offer a helpful read on where the world's biggest chipmaker will throw its weight around next. That's useful fodder for investors, since most of Intel's products on show are planned to hit the shelves over the next 12 months.