Intel Retools Pentium as Ultra-Thin Notebook Processor Brand

We don't expect to see any more Blue Man Group commercials, but making a comeback is the near-dead Pentium brand name. This time around, Intel plans to use the Pentium nomenclature for its ultra-thin notebooks, which will help separate the higher powered portables from netbooks.

The fear has always been that the highly popular netbook segment would ultimately cut into sales of higher priced notebooks. By bringing back the Pentium name, Intel will attempt to protect the sales of netbooks -- and it's Atom line -- while at the same time push customers into pricier notebooks with higher profit margins.

"We think that the ultra-thin laptos augurs in an era where more and more people will be taking their laptop out on the go without compromising performance," said Uday Marty, director of product marketing for Intel's mobile platforms group.

Meanwhile, AMD has kept the Athlon brand going with the recent announcement of Athlon II. However, unlike Intel, AMD has thus far avoided using the netbook term altogether.

Image Credit: Darbe Rotach