During his keynote at CES Intel's CEO Paul Otellini said that while computing was evolving and becoming about more than the PC, connectivity was key to this change.
"Smartphones truly embody personal computing," Otellini said. "Wireless connectivity is critical and 3G is great, but it's not fast enough. 4G technologies like WiMAX are needed to deliver on the promise and potential of these new devices."
Otellini demonstrated 4G technology that has been on show at CES and continued to preach the message about Wimax – he stated that 700 million people will be covered by WiMAX by the end of 2010.
"Computing in the home is rapidly expanding beyond the PC," Otellini said. "The TV will continue to be a focal point of the home while becoming smarter, much in the way phones are evolving into smartphones. New user interfaces and forms of connectivity will change the way we interact with entertainment in the home."
Intel's CEO also welcomed the advent of 3D in the home and cinemas, saying that creating 3D content requires a "ton of computing power." Otellini also said there are some powerful PCs available today that are capable of creating 3D content at home.
To prove his point, he demonstrated real-time creation and editing of 3D using a Core i7 PC.
In a move to combat the rise of Android running on ARM-based devices, Otellini also announced the beta launch of an app store for Atom-based devices called the Intel AppUp Center and said that Acer, Asus, Dell and Samsung have already pledged support. The announcement follows on from the Atom Developer Program that was launched back in the Autumn.
Otellini also described how advancements in microprocessor technology will continue to transform how people enjoy media at home. He showed new ways to visually search for TV shows, internet access to videos and other applications on a yet-to-be introduced Orange media set-top box powered by the Intel Atom CE4100 system on a chip.
