Intel targets China's white box netbook market

INTEL WANTS Chinese white box vendors to spice up their selection a bit and is releasing some suggested netbook package bundles to entice them.

Spanning price ranges from $256 to $410, Intel's package deals come in four different flavours.

The first, a 1750RMB ($256) machine will bundle together an Atom N270 processor, 945GSE chipset, 512MB memory, 8GB/16GB solid state drive (SSD) and a Linux operating system all packed under an 8.9-inch screen.

Chipzilla's other three bundles, 1750- 2100 RMB ($256 - $306), 2101-2450 RMB ($307- $358) and 2,451-2,800 RMB ($359-$410) will purportedly be offering the same basic components with a 10.2-inch screen and extras to match the various price tags.

Of course, Intel says it is just recommending the prices and that the actual cost of the machines will be set by the vendors themselves.

Chipzilla is expecting the Chinese netbook market to skyrocket, making chop suey of the bigger, 10-inch and above notebook market, considered the firm's bread and butter for so long.

But Intel is being quite careful with its crystal ball, too, not wanting to pinpoint any exact numbers or predicted sales figures until after its Q1 09 earnings report due out later this month. µ