Intel will apparently roll out its Compute Stick, which it showed off earlier this year at CES in Las Vegas, next month in Europe. In the past, such PCs-on-a-stick have been showcased, but the overall package and the dollar pricing of the Intel compute stick appears to be sitting well with experts.
An over-sized HDMI dongle
According to Fudzilla, the device will be launched in the U.K. in “late April/early May.” Intel’s Windows 8.1 stick with Bing is priced at around €180 to become around £180 including VAT in the U.K. at the release time. The Linux version will be priced at around €120, according to Fudzilla’s sources.
During the recent CES show, Intel hinted that the dollar price would be somewhere $149 for the Windows 8.1 version, and just $89 for the Linux version. The one with the Windows version has advanced specifications, featuring around 32GB of storage and 2GB of RAM. The Linux version of the stick is packed with only 8GB of storage and 1GB of RAM.
Other features of the stick include: an HDMI-stick style PC, a quad-core Intel Atom Z3735F processor, a mini and full-sized USB port, an SD-card slot, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4, and a hardware power button. The Intel Compute Stick measures about 4 inches long.
Similar to Intel’s stick, the Hanspree HDMI Micro-PC with Windows 8.1 and Bing pre-installed is selling in the U.K. market for £130 including delivery on Amazon U.K. Other specifications of the device include: Intel’s Atom Z3735F chip, 32GB storage and 2GB of RAM.
Intel re-entering the mobile market
In past, Intel has forayed several times in the mobile segment, and for the past few years it has been again aiming at the mobile market, planning to shell out more funds after spending billions in 2014 to establish a strong foothold by launching its new Atom microprocessor for smartphones and the tablets. The chip maker is into a volatile zone for now, facing dropped sales of personal computers, in which it holds the topmost position.
Intel has already revised its revenue estimate for the first quarter, dropping it by approximately $1 billion, hurt by slower-than-expected PC sales. According to a report from IDC, a decrease of 4.9% is expected in PC sales in 2015 from the $201 billion market in 2014, dropping them to $175 billion by 2019.
