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CES 2012: ARM CEO Warren East dismisses Intel's smartphone ambitions, while talking up Windows 8 potential

It can never compete on power consumption

CES 2012: ARM CEO Warren East dismisses Intel's smartphone ambitions, while talking up Windows 8 potential
UK chip designer ARM has long been the front runner in terms of the market for smartphone and tablet processors, but recent announcements at CES 2012 signalled Intel's arrival on the scene.

In particular, its partnership with Motorola looks likely to result in a raft of new smartphones and tablets using Intel's Atom Z2460 (Medfield) architecture.

ARM CEO Warren East has come out all guns firing, though, determined to outline his firm's continued dominance in a market he believes Intel will continue to have a hard time operating in.

This is what we do

"It's inevitable Intel will get a few smartphone design wins - we regard Intel as a serious competitor," East told Reuters.

"Are they ever going to be the leaders in power efficiency? No, of course not. But they have a lot more to offer."

"They have taken some designs that were never meant for mobile phones and they've literally wrenched those designs and put them into a power-performance space which is roughly good enough for mobile phones.

"People want to do more things with their phones, but battery size remains constant," he continued.

"It's like having a car with a fixed-size fuel tank and you want to drive 100 more miles. You've got to make the engine more efficient. That's what we do for a living."

The waiting game

East took the opportunity to highlight his excitement over Microsoft's announcement that Windows 8 will become ARM compatible, a move which could spark an upsurge in tablets powered by the OS.

"We've waited a long time for this to happen. Another six months, another 12 months doesn't matter," said East.

"I'd much rather wait however long it takes to get a quality experience than compromise.

"Google's Android is flavour of the month, flavour of the year, and we certainly want to be part of the Google success. But there is a space for Microsoft, and we very much want to be a part of that success too."

[source: Reuters]

When Matt was 7 years old he didn't write to Santa like the other little boys and girls. He wrote to Mario. When the rotund plumber replied, Matt's dedication to a life of gaming was established. Like an otaku David Carradine, he wandered the planet until becoming a writer at Pocket Gamer.