Some IT managers hope the Transmeta Crusoe chip will deliver longer battery life and increased competition to processor giant Intel Corp. But despite last week's announcement that Gateway Inc. would be the first PC manufacturer to use the chip, information technology managers say it's unclear how much impact that development will have in corporate IT environments. National Semiconductor Inc. Gateway, which owns a stake in Transmeta, said it chose Crusoe for just those reasons. The company won't comment on its plans for using the chip in notebooks or other devices. Giga Information Group Inc. Neither IBM nor Compaq would comment for this story.
Corporate users are circumspect.
Gary Bernstein, senior systems analyst at a global oil company, said he would be interested in devices based on Crusoe because he's always looking for new technology. But I'd be willing to give it a shot. Another hot-button issue for IT managers is choice. Probably not beyond its low-power niche, said Halfhill. Computerworld reporter Linda Rosencrance contributed to this article.