Intel offers $1m to challenge Mac mini

At the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, Intel CEO Paul Otellini today offered a $1 million reward to the first computer manufacturer to develop a small, style-oriented PC using both Intel's Core chip and Viiv home theater technology. Otellini discussed the advancements in case design made possible by the lower power consumption of his company's Core processor, saying that smaller and more stylish PCs are needed to advance beyond the current standards of design. Although the Intel executive did not explicitly name Apple's Mac mini desktop system when announcing the competition, the design closely matches most of Otellini's criteria. He notably allowed Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller to make an unprecedented guest appearance before the competition announcement to explain how the Core architecture has helped Apple's design process, according to Electronista.

Placed in the context of Schiller's guest speech, the competition effectively asks system builders to compete against the compact, media-focused Mac mini, whose relatively unique construction already fits almost all the requirements of the contest save for the use of Windows XP Media Center, says Electronista. Companies have until the next Intel Developer Forum in March to create their finished designs, which will be judged by a group of computer and style experts based on the systems' features and visual appeal.

Filed under: Apple