Intel to Launch New Processors for Ultrathin Laptops

Intel will soon release new low-power processors for a class of thin and light laptops that bridge the gap between netbooks and mainstream laptops, a company spokeswoman confirmed on Friday.

The new processors will be available under Intel's Core i3 and Core i5 brands and will power laptops that are as portable as netbooks but have larger screens and greater functionality. Called ultrathin laptops, these PCs are usually priced between US$400 and $800 and provide performance that is adequate to run standard applications and high-definition multimedia.

An Intel road map presented during a webcast on Thursday showed that the chips will be less powerful than the standard-voltage Core i3 and Core i5 laptop processors, which are priced between $133 and $294, according to an Intel price list. However, the new processors will be faster than Intel's Atom chips, which go into netbooks.

:story: Full story: PC World

that is because Atom CPUs are good for single application and very low power.
Atom CPU I think have a market in storage servers and routers, but not in laptops or PCs

I agree Dehc, I've played with a few netbooks running Atom CPUs and they are just terrible if you need to browse the net and type up a report at the same time... throw in background music playing with MP3 or iTunes, and the system grinds to a halt.

While they're good for quick email/facebook updates, I think the smartphone/berry would be a better option. hence iPad/Android stuff is getting more popular, and the need for some Ultra-Low Power but good number crunching CPUs (as noted above).

I like your ideas for the HTPC using these ultra-low products... Q6600 seems like overkill...lol.