Intel Doubles Down on Laptops

SAN FRANCISCO -- Intel(INTC) rolled out its latest generation of technology for notebook PCs Wednesday, sharpening its focus on one of the fastest-growing segments of the PC industry.

The new version of Intel's Centrino technology, says the company, promises to give notebooks longer battery life, faster performance and improved wireless capabilities, as well as enhanced entertainment experience -- from watching high-definition movies to playing video games -- putting notebooks more on par with their brawnier desktop counterparts.

Intel Mobile Platforms General Manager Mooly Eden told the press at a launch event here that all of these improvements are vital as notebooks become the main type of PC and play an increasingly central role in consumers' lives.

"You're going to spend more time with your notebook in the next three years than with your spouse," Eden said.

To that end, he promised that a new wave of notebooks based on Centrino technology slated to hit store shelves later this year will be much lighter, sleeker and sexier than today's machines.

The first wave of Centrino-based notebooks began shipping Wednesday, with more than 100 models due for release in the next week and roughly 230 Centrino notebooks appearing in the "near future."

The new technology is an overhaul of the original Centrino, which Intel released in 2003. That technology featured 77 million transistors, vs. the 291 million transistors crammed into the latest iteration.