Intel's next platform is 'Pro'

A FEW DAYS ago, we told you about Intel and Skype hooking up and pulling in the Intel version of 10 way conference calling. A couple of days later, word leaked out about a mysterious 'pro' platform. What do they have in common, and what is 'pro' about Averill anyway?

If you read the Skype article, it is almost like they were foreshadowing something, and you would be right, the 10 way conferencing is one of the fundamentals of the Pro platform. While Intel got reamed up and down by the Slashdot set for one conspiracy or another, the truth is not so colourful. It wanted to get the functionality out in time for the Pro launch, so spent the time, money and engineers to push its version out the door first. There will be an AMD variant and a non-dual core one to follow, so take off the tin foil helmets, the CIA is out to get you, but tin foil won't help. There, I said it.

There are many other parts to Pro. It is going to be the desktop version of Centrino and VIIV, but not as user antagonistic and broken as the latter platform. It will also not be nearly as ambitious and far reaching, and because of this, will fall into the 'good thing' category.

First off, it may have a name, but it is not on any literature we've seen yet, and is aimed at larger installations. If you have a tiny shop, it probably will do you a lot less good than if you have 10,000 machines at your beck and call. The main technologies it bundles are iAMT2, VT, a dual core CPU, and Longhorn ready graphics. This means the first variant you will see is a Conroe board with VT BIOS, Broadwater-G and ICH8-DO chipsets, and Nineveh network cards with AMT firmware. You will also need Intel NIC drivers, but that is more of a 'no, really?' thing. Miss any of this you don't get your badge, and you don't get the kick^h^h^h co-marketing dollars either.

Intel will sell it on three things: Management, safety and power. Management is iAMT2 and VT, basically nothing it hasn't been telling anyone who would listen for the last year about. Safety is the no-execute bit and VT again, basically keep people out of places where they should not be, and a quick reload if there is an 'oopsie'. The power part is simple, Conroe is fast, and I mean it, it is really fast.

The most interesting part is VoIP. All of the above are Intel technologies, but for some reason or another, it is mandating 10 way conference calls as part of the platform. While Skype isn't specifically mentioned in the literature, there is only one thing that will do this at the current time. It will be interesting to see if the brand is locked in, or functional equivalents will be allowed. Either way, Intel wanted to have a solid thing to demo, so it worked with Skype to do it. Once again, no conspiracy.

As usual, there is going to be a huge co-marketing plan, and you won't be able to spit without hitting something with the brand on it when it launches at the end of the year. The name is still up in the air, we hear April before the touchy-feely set that brought you VIIV decide on the next one. Be still, my beating heart.

All marketing aside, Intel is looking to roll out a pretty solid platform for once. The pieces will be tested, available and useful, any marketing on top of that will be just that, marketing. There are no downside to buying the package that I can see, if you can utilise the management capabilities, it will make your life easier. Two out of three in the platform space isn't all that bad a record, is it? µ