Intel sees no slowdown in world PC market

Intel Corp expects no slowdown in global demand for personal computers
despite economic problems in the US and in other countries, Craig Barrett,
Chairman, Intel said.

He also told reporters in Lisbon, where he was to sign a draft deal with the
Portuguese government to make 5,00,000 cheap portable computers for schools,
that the company was upbeat on demand prospects for low-cost computers and
5,00,000 cheap portable computers for schools.

"We gave a relatively upbeat business forecast, saying that despite the
economic problems in the US our business is so international that we didn't see
any slow down in the PC market," he said.

Barrett said a range of economies have not been seriously affected by the US
slowdown, providing hope that the crisis will have limited implications.

"We are seeing that the slowdown in the US hasn't spilled everywhere else.
The world's economy is not as robust as it could be, but it's not a disaster,"
he added.

Apart from broadband wireless, and the next generation of low-cost computers,
Intel also remains bullish about the introduction of more digital capability in
healthcare.

"There's a huge opportunity to use it not just in the back-office but in
remote diagnostics," he added.

Referring to the European Union's recent antitrust charges against Intel,
Barrett said price reductions for micro­processors and computers have an
'anti-inflationary nature' while prices are rising globally and also said that
was a testimony to high competition in the sector.

"It looks as though the market is functioning as it should, because every
year consumers are getting more for less. We continue to say that, please just
look at the facts, don't just listen to a competitor complaint," he said.

Intel lawyers have previously said that that new charges filed against the
company by the European Commission could lead to higher prices for consumers.

The Commission issued additional charges against Intel earlier this month,
saying the US company had paid a retailer to refrain from selling computers with
chips made by competitor Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).

Last year, the Comm­ission accused Intel of giving computer makers rebates to
limit their use of rival AMD's chips or avoid them altogether.