Mobile operators are backing Intel’s move into smartphones, and will start to ship the Android-based “Santa Clara” during the summer.
Today, ARM-based processors totally dominate among smartphones and tablets, but Intel is putting a lot of resources on getting a chunk of this growing market.
More competition in the smartphone processor space is good for all involved, according to Yves Maitre, vice president for Devices at Orange Group.
“It’s always good to have competition, because it gives consumers more choice. It also allows technology to improve faster, and at the end of the day when you have competition it also has an impact on pricing,” said Maitre.
For all those reasons it made sense for Orange to consider working with Intel, and after further investigations the decision was made. That was 18 months ago.
The goal has been to provide the best phone possible at an affordable price. One of Orange’s previous low-cost Android-based smartphones was the Boston, which arrived in 2010 and cost