Will tablet-specific chips be Intel's second act?

The arrival of the tablet computer has caused a major disruption in the PC industry, with new leaders emerging to take the place of the technology industry's traditional powerhouses. However, many of these long-time leaders are not sitting idle while the market continues to evolve.

One such company is Intel®, the world's largest PC chipmaker. So far, Intel has struggled to establish its place in the tablet market, but that may soon change as the company prepares to launch its first tablet-specific microprocessor.

According to technology news provider DigiTimes, Intel's new chip will arrive in 2012, and the company predicts the new technology will allow it to compete with the likes of Qualcomm® and others making processors based on the ARM architecture, which is popular in tablets and smartphones.

The question is whether Intel has arrived too late to make a difference in the tablet market. To date, the mobile industry has been difficult to break into, even for the titans of the decades-long PC era. Microsoft® has had similar struggles, and despite the anticipated launch of its dual-minded Windows® 8, it remains to be seen whether the software giant can make a dent.

The coming years should be an interesting period for the computer industry. Whether the leaders of old can reclaim their places on top or whether the new school will maintain its stranglehold on the burgeoning tablet market is a development that many are anxious to watch.