Today at the Computex event in Taiwan, Intel unveiled a reference design ’2-in-1′ device, raising the profile of tablet-hybrids. The chip maker, increasingly betting on mobile in the face of a immiserated personal computer market, wants to grow its market share in the tablet industry.
The idea of a ’2-in-1′ — hereafter called 2-1 — is simple: Have a tablet that locks into a keyboard natively, allowing for both touch-first, and keyboard-first experiences. Microsoft has been a long promoter of the concept, sinking billions of dollars into its Surface project.
Most recently, Microsoft released the Surface Pro 3, a device that advanced the concept of a tablet-hybrid, a term I made up to cover devices that attempt both best-in-class tablet and laptop experiences without meaningful sacrifice. The Pro 3, among other useful changes, improved its keyboard and touch-pad, making it a far more viable laptop replacement.
Intel, a company that is presumably loath to watch the the PC market decline, is making a bet that it can advance its tablet efforts and juice PC sales at the same time. Its reference 2-1 design is a attractive device, both thin and light.
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