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The past year has seen hybrid devices becoming the choice of many. Intel, which makes processors that power a big chunk of these devices, says hybrids are for users who are looking for the power and performance of a laptop and the ultra-mobility of a tablet in one device.
Sandeep Aurora, director, Marketing & Market Development, Intel South Asia, in an email interaction with Abhik Sen, describes why hybrids have become the device of choice, and what lies ahead. Edited excerpts:
There is a lot of buzz around two-in-ones in the market with the recent announcements and many companies launching various devices. What are the basic differences between plain Jane laptops and tablets and a hybrid two-in-one device?
One of the trends that have been prevalent for the last few years has been the absolute personalisation of computing. Consumers today demand technology that’s a natural extension of themselves and this has also been reflecting in the form factor evolution of devices. The Ultrabook was one such revolution which made computing devices thin and light. Ultrabooks took the portability, mobility and design of traditional laptops a step further.
Two-in-ones are yet another step in the direction of making personal computing, more personal and upping the ease of use of mobile computing devices. A two-in-one is a device that includes full laptop and tablet capabilities in a single form factor with a keyboard that has the ability to convert or detach into a flat tablet.
These devices deliver full PC performance and productivity along with tablet capabilities such as touch and quick responsiveness that consumers have grown to love. New two-in-one devices blend Intel-level performance with exceptional tablet mobility into one incredibly versatile, highly capable device. With the perfect merger of form, function, and fun consumers have the freedom to roam and the power to perform.
Two-in-ones are essentially of two kinds: One, detachables where the keyboard is engineered as part of overall product design and not an after-market accessory where it attaches/detaches to the display mechanically or magnetically. The second is convertibles where the keyboard is permanently and mechanically attached to the display. The hinge flexibility provides for mode change from laptop to tablet and vice versa and this could be in various forms like the ferris wheel, folder, flip, swivel, dual screen, slider or track slider.
With hybrid devices offering multiple benefits, will they be able to replace laptops in the near future? What are the benefits of using a two-in-one vis-à-vis a laptop?
I think one thing we need to understand very clearly is that no one device will ever replace another. Today when it comes to personal computing, consumers have a plethora of devices to choose from and the exciting part is that there is a device for pretty much every consumer need. With the advent of two-in-ones, this choice only increases and having a variety of devices makes the ecosystem more robust and keeps innovation thriving! The bottom line is that more choice is a good thing!
That said, two-in-ones specifically cater to a segment of users who are looking for the power and performance of a laptop and the ultra-mobility of a tablet in one device. For these consumers the advantage of using a two-in-one over a traditional laptop is the versatility and value that these devices offer because consumers don’t need to choose between a tablet and a laptop but can have both these devices in one form factor.
Consumers who are constantly on the go don’t need to be burdened by the excess baggage and can carry their two-in-one without having to make a choice. This lets them seamlessly alternate between their device usage depending on whether they are consuming content or creating content. And lastly the value consumers see in getting two devices for the price of one is another advantage that can’t be undermined!
How is Intel enabling the two-in-one landscape for various OEMs manufacturing hybrid devices?
When it comes to the two-in-one landscape, we’ve helped the ecosystem by laying out a broad set of criteria that qualify a device as a two-in-one such as the OS, screen size and form factor, i.e having a keyboard engineered for an integrated two-in-one design.
Beyond this we are working with multiple OEMs as they innovate on their respective designs. The good thing about the two-in-one is that they are available across a range of our processors from the Intel Atom Processors to the Intel Core Processors. With the vision of this category our endeavour is to provide the best Intel level performance across a range of processors without compromising on the mobility and portability of the device.
How is the market adopting these devices? Are the devices getting positive response from the consumers? Can you share some numbers in terms of adoption and growth of the segment?
What’s important to note here is that we’re at a time in the personal computing industry where innovation is accelerating at an unprecedented pace and consumers are spoilt for choice in terms of the computing device that’s best suited for them. The response to these devices has been heartening especially given the fact that we still in the early days of two-in-ones.
Today, several two-in-ones from OEMs like Asus, Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo are available in retail. IDC in its recent report said the growth of two-in-ones and tablets is expected to fuel the volume for desktop vendors and the PC ecosystem. We anticipate two-in-one designs to be popular as an innovative form factor that combines PC performance with tablet-like mobility.
How do you think form factor innovation will change the technology landscape, what all do you envision for the future?
If you go back in time and look at the history of the evolution computing, the one trend that is most striking is that how with every technology transition, computing devices became more personal in nature. Form factor innovation was and will continue to be the driving factor for leading device manufacturers today. According to analysts at Kaufman Brothers, form factor innovation across computing and mobile devices will drive additional growth for semiconductors.
Kaufman Brothers expects the semiconductor product cycles to be driven further by content access and the concept of connected living rooms. With the constant evolution of form factors, technology will empower the lives of users and provide high convenience factor. In the recent past we saw this with the Ultrabook revolution, what Ultrabooks did for the entire mobile computing category was drive thinner and lighter designs across the stack.
Circa 2011 there were a lot of bulky looking laptops in the market but if you look at the laptops available in the market today, you’ll hardly find anything clunky and bulky. Mobile computing devices in general have been sleeker and thinner without compromising on the performance. With two-in-ones we’ll see an acceleration of this trend. In general as computing device becomes more and more personal form factor innovation will accelerate. I reckon that we’ll have a lot of never seen before innovation in the computing space especially as wearables and the Internet of Things become a reality.
Software and hardware innovation goes hand in hand in the overall scope of technological innovation. With continuous innovation in form factors, how do you foresee this partnership in the future?
Indeed, software and hardware go hand in hand. As hardware evolves, newer software is created to compliment it and vice versa. It is absolutely certain that the evolution of one cannot happen without the other. Take the whole ‘touch’ based device evolution for example. As the proliferation of touch based devices increases, we’re seeing the software ecosystem evolve apps and interfaces that are more intuitive making the computing experience delightful.
With the evolution of form factors like two-in-ones the software ecosystem is also working towards making the computing experience seamless and enjoyable as the user switches from laptop to tablet mode. Intel’s goal is to offer customers a choice of software that runs best on Intel Architecture. Using Intel architecture-based devices, people don’t have to worry about whether the software they know and love will work – it just will!
Please throw some light on the wearable technology space. What are Intel’s plans for it in the future?
With the evolution of computing, devices are becoming smaller, adaptable, flexible, and wearable but as Intel futurist Steve Brown says what's most important about wearable technology is the person doing the wearing. Computing is becoming more natural and people are more than willing to wear these devices.
It is interesting to see the receptiveness consumers have for this concept even before it is readily available to all. The world is entering an era of integrated computing defined not by the device, but by the integration of technology in to people’s lifestyles in ways that offer individuals new utility and value. Wearable technology is also an innovation in form factor which has taken a different tangent all together.
Intel is actively pursuing a range of products and initiatives, with the goal of accelerating wearable device innovation. Intel's approach to this next evolution in computing is to imagine and create reference design devices and platforms ready for use by customers in developing wearable product.
At the Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas earlier this year, Intel's CEO highlighted number of wearable reference devices, including smart earbuds that provide biometric and fitness capabilities and a smart wireless charging bowl and Intel also announced collaborations with Barneys New York, the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Opening Ceremony to explore and bring to market new smart wearable technologies, and to increase dialogue and cooperation between the fashion and technology industries. Intel has also kicked-off the Intel 'Make it Wearable' challenge, a global effort aimed at accelerating creativity and innovation with technology.
The effort will call upon the smartest and most creative minds to consider factors impacting the proliferation of wearable devices and ubiquitous computing, such as meaningful usages, aesthetics, battery life, security and privacy. In addition to developing reference devices for wearable technology, Intel will offer a number of accessible, low-cost entry platforms. These are aimed at helping lower entry barriers for individuals and small companies to create innovative Internet-connected wearables or other small form factor devices.
At CES, Intel also announced the Intel® Edison, a new Intel® Quark technology-based computer housed in an SD card form factor with built-in wireless capabilities and support for multiple operating systems. From prototype to production, Intel Edison will enable rapid innovation and product development by a range of inventors, entrepreneurs and consumer product designers when available this summer.
