WiMax to change laptop biz model, says Intel Capital exec

SAN FRANCISCO — An executive from Intel's venture capital arm provided a glimpse into the future Wednesday (Sept. 27), saying Intel Capital believes that notebook computers will follow the route of PDAs and cell phones and eventually be sold at subsidized rates with WiMax service contracts.

Sriram Viswanathan, vice president and director of Intel Capital's mobility sector, said WiMax would fundamentally change the laptop computer business model.

Viswanathan said Intel Capital views the laptop computer in the same situation that the Palm Pilot was in several years ago, before cell phone service providers made wireless broadband service available.

Today, you can't buy a PDA or smart phone without a service contract, Viswanathan noted.