Intel CEO Paul Otellini is clearly a big fan of Microsoft"s upcoming Windows 8 operating system. Indeed he praised the OS during remarks made on Friday at a keynote address at Dell World, a conference for IT professionals that"s hosted by PC maker Dell. Computerworld.com reports that Otellini said, "We think that Windows 8 on Intel architecture, particularly in Ultrabook, will give you the ultimate experience."
Otellini is also pushing for more PC makers to adopt the Ultrabook notebook design. Intel announced the concept back in May and since then a number of PC notebook makers have announced plans to release laptops based on Intel"s thin-and-light design. The first such Ultrabooks, from Acer and Asus, went on sale in the US this week with prices that started at $899. Intel has established a $300 million fund that allows PC makers to lower the cost of making Ultrabooks. Otellini said on Friday that he hopes the fund will drive down prices for the notebooks "much faster than we would have seen otherwise." Ironically Dell, the host of Dell World, has yet to officially confirm it is working on an Ultrabook-based notebook.
Intel has also seen the rate of PC shipments slow down in recent years. Some of that slow growth is due to the poor economy but the rise of smartphones and tablets in the last few years has also cut into PC sales. Otellini said on Friday, "Intel loves PCs." However, He added, "To some extent, the evolution of the PC has been retarded, I think, in the last few years."