Intel are set to attack the market in 2011 by getting their processors into a wide selection of tablet and smartphones in 2011. Dates have not been confirmed but after speaking with industry insiders the best guess would be Q2 for the tablets and Q3/4 for the smartphones.

Intel's top man Paul Otellini told analysts at a conference that the consumer tablets will roll out in the first half of the year and that many manufacturers have agreed to use Intel processors in up to 35 tablet models. So far big players are Dell, Asus, Toshiba and Lenovo.

This is great news for Intel who are facing stiff competition from ARM designs, due to lower power drain and high efficiency.

“Intel is moving in the right strategic direction but they still have a long way to go,” said Hendi Susanto, analyst at Gabelli & Company. “They're late into the game. There is no clear visibility on what the products look like.”

Otellini is keen to do this the right way and has said that this attack into the smartphone and mobile market is ‘a marathon, not a sprint'. Otellini's track record is extremely impressive, so we would assume his approach will work long term. The second generation Medfield chip is already being sampled by customers and will ship later next year and into 2012.

Kitguru says: 2011 looks to be shaping up very well for Intel.

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