Work Without Wires

Centrino: A Case Study in Product Launch

If you had deep pockets and almost all the requisite technology for an evolution in computer use, what would you do? You might do what Intel has with Centrino.

Despite the fact that more than 15 million wireless fidelity (wi-fi)-enabled notebooks are already deployed, their wi-fi capabilities are seldom used. Corporate IT managers have long wanted to deploy wireless, but the cost has remained prohibitive. Intel is now waving its magic money-colored wand to remove obstacles to wi-fi adoption and enact its wireless vision.

To make networks more available external to corporate geography, Intel partnered with several nationwide retail chains to install wi-fi "hot spots," or Internet access points. Each site is tested and verified for operation and also carries the Centrino brand. The current number of 3,000 to 4,000 verified, compatible hot spots in 19 countries and 100 cities is being expanded to tens of thousands by the end of the year. Expect to see Centrino branding at every one of these sites. Intel has committed $300 million to the ad campaign.

At the core of Centrino is the hardware to enable Intel's vision of the new, disconnected way we will use computers: a low-power and high-performance CPU, a chipset, and a mini-PCI 802.11b wi-fi card. Intel allows end-user products to carry the Centrino label only if they contain all those components.

As far as corporate use goes, Intel's verification efforts have already done a lot to identify and remedy wi-fi deployment issues, which brings down the deployment cost for IT. Intel has also identified which pieces of technology are still lacking, and is funding their development with an additional $150 million. These development efforts include enabling applications to accommodate random gaps in wi-fi availability and extending the range of wi-fi networks.

Despite the likelihood Intel will now dominate them, wi-fi competitors have responded with approval. They view it as the tide that will float everybody's boat. Meanwhile, look for wi-fi to come to a site near you.

James Honey [jhoney@flash.net] has twenty years' experience in product development as an engineer and executive.

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