Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) has poached a former Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) VP Mike Bell who will now head the chip makers new Smart Devices Unit, says a report from AllThingsD.
Bell’s History
Bell worked with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) for 16 years until 2007 then left the company to become SVP of Product Development at Palm. The former Apple employee has an immense experience in mobile device development. Bell had been associated with Intel before this; he was recently co-leading Intel’s mobile chip business. The new role given to Bell surely reflects the changed strategy from the chipmaker.
The mobile chip unit will now be handled by Hermann Eul, who was the co-leader with Bell. Eul became part of Intel’s management owing to the acquisition of Infineon by Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC).
Intel’s New Smart Device Unit
The role of the Smart Device Unit has not been clearly communicated by Intel, but the chipmaker did say “The group will be tasked with turning cool technology and business model innovations into products that shape and lead markets.”
As per the company, the new group will monitor emerging technologies and product trends, including ultra-mobile products. The new changes are the continuation of the broader organizational changes planned by the new CEO, Brian Krzanich.
A Possible reason
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), which dominated the desktop PC market for decades, has been struggling in recent years with the rise of smartphones and tablets. According to recent news, Intel could have contributed in the making of the first iPhone, but former CEO Paul Otellini didn’t find the deal interesting at that time and as a result Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) used an ARM processor.
The chip maker has been making efforts to make a mark in the smartphones and tablets market, in 2011, it acquired Infineon to mark its presence in the mobile chip market, and it also introduced Intel’s Atom processor for some of the Android 2.3 devices, but with little success so far. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) has been making most of its mobile efforts around Android platform; however, the company has been involved in several mobile Linux projects over the years.
Therefore, the new appointment also highlights the plans from the chip maker to remain competitive in the mobile device market. Rival’s like Qualcomm, Nvidia, MediaTek, Broadcom and other ARM-based manufactures already enjoy a strong presence in the mobile device market.
