Intel is envisioning the introduction of PCs that will require absolutely no cables by 2016, enabled by wireless display, docking and charging technologies.
The PCs would be based on the reference design of a Core processor Intel calls Skylake, which is slated for release in the second half of 2015. That schedule would enable devices based on the vendor's reference design to hit the market in 2016.
At the Computex trade show in Taipei, Taiwan, Kirk Skaugen, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's PC client group, took to the stage to demonstrate how 60 GHz WiGig technology will enable short-range docking so multiple devices, including wireless displays, keyboards and mice, can connect to a desktop. WiGig is based on the IEEE 802.11ad standard.
Skaugen also demonstrated Rezence magnetic resonance charging technology, which is backed by the Alliance 4 Wireless Power (A4WP), in which Intel participates. In the show demo, the technology was installed beneath a table, enabling the simultaneous wireless charging of a laptop, phone, headset and tablet computer, according to CNET.
There are competing wireless charging technologies, but A4WP has gained some momentum of late. At Computex, the group announced that its membership now tops 100 companies. It also delivered a specification for multi-device wireless charging up to 50 watts, which increases the range of products capable of using Rezence technology beyond smartphones to include laptops, tablets and other consumer electronics.
Also at Computex, Hermann Eul, Intel corporate vice president and general manager of the mobile and communications group, said Intel's LTE business is picking up with more device wins for the XMM 7160 LTE platform.
The company is preparing its LTE Advanced platform, the XMM 7260, for availability this quarter. The category 6 platform, capable of 300 Mbps peak download speeds, is currently shipping to customers for interoperability testing.
For more:
- see this Intel fact sheet
- see this A4WP release
- see this CNET article
- see this PC World article
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