Could NatSemi SOCs threaten Celerons existence?
Analysis Intel engineers, as we speak, are scrabbling desperately to come up with their own version of a system on a chip (the Timna), but it is likely that National Semiconductor’s Geode SOC has a clear lead of a year on the competition. But that poses questions as to what Intel will do with its Celeron processors faced with the rise and rise of so-called Free PCs. For the whole of this year, Intel has relentlessly pursued a strategy of dropping prices on its Celeron family (essentially the same chip as a Pentium II), while bringing out speed enhancements. However, our information is that NatSemi is likely to price its Geode family at around $20-$30, according to the quantities bought. It does not take much imagination to foresee a spate of very inexpensive PC-compatible devices that cost less than the price of a high-end Celeron. Although NatSemi is claiming that it is not positioning the Geode in the PC marketplace, there is nothing to prevent large outfits like Acer using it as a w
