Intel says tablets and phones on the way in 2011

Reuters - Intel Corp said it is making headway getting its chips into tablet computers and that smartphones using its processors will go on sale late next year as it rushes to catch up in the fast-growing mobile market.

The company is betting that new chips due to ship next year will invigorate its mobile business, which has struggled to get off the ground amid explosive sales of Apple’s iPad tablets and smartphones using Google’s Android operating system.

“The consumer (tablet) products will roll out over the first half of next year,” Chief Executive Paul Otellini told analysts at a conference.

He said manufacturers have agreed to use Intel chips in 35 tablet models, including a few already on the market.

On a slide, Otellini listed brands including Dell, Asus, Lenovo and Toshiba.

Intel’s Atom chips dominate netbooks but smartphone and tablet manufacturers have mostly rejected them in favour of more power-efficient chips based on ARM architecture that are made by companies like Qualcomm and Marvell.