Intel-powered Android notebooks could cost "as low as $200"

Intel is looking at Android as the platform powering low-cost notebooks in the future.

During Intel's recent earnings conference call, the company's CEO, Paul Otellini, had said that the price of Intel-powered touch screen devices including of Notebooks will head south to as low as $200 (Rs. 10,850 approximately). However, he did not specify as to what operating system the new devices will run.

According to a new report by CNET, Dadi Perlmutter, Intel executive vice president and chief product officer, has informed that the low cost notebooks Otellini was talking about are expected to run Android and that these will be powered by Intel's Atom mobile processor. He said that a lot would depend on Microsoft's pricing for Windows 8 for everyone to see Windows devices in that price bracket. He also expects the PC market to improve in the second half of the year with availability of new devices.

Perlmutter also said that portable devices powered by Intel's Core line of processors could sell for as low as $399 to $499, with some higher specced Atom devices reaching the same price level.

According to IDC data, personal computer sales plunged 14 percent in the first three months of the year, the biggest decline in two decades of keeping records, as tablets continued to gain in popularity and buyers appeared to be avoiding Microsoft's new Windows 8 system.

While a major reason is Windows 8 not finding favour among consumers, another reason is that consumers want to switch to touch and hybrid touch devices, which are still priced steeply. So cheaper touch devices might help in reviving PC sales but it it will be interesting to see if Android would be able to replace Windows as an OS platform for PCs. This when Google offers a different operating system, Chrome OS, targeting PC users.