Moderator :
  Good Morning, Welcome to Spotlight Chat with Mr G B Kumar

GB Kumar :
  Good morning team channel, its pleasure to be here and looking forward to interact with you all.

 Murali,Mircoware India Pvt ltd,Chennai :
  Q: How acceptable has the Dual Core been in the market. Should vendors give more information before introducing the product in market? GB Kumar :
  Pleased to be back on channel times chat after an year.

GB Kumar :
  Murali, Dual core acceptance has gone up significantly since mid-august. We have PDP805 based dual core systems available at very attractive price and performance features.

 Hemendra Verma,Hexapro Technologies,Bangalore :
  Q: Hello Sir, what are Intels new initiatives to build up the Dual Core brand?

GB Kumar :
  Hello Hemendra, we will be focusing on Core2Duo ramp for channel from Oct, which is the best performning processor on the planet. You will see us do festival time demand gen activities, TV Campaign and channel push activties for promoting the same for gamers. C2D PCs are available starting Rs 30K

 Si Sailam,MBO Computer pvt ltd,Chennai :
  Q: Dual core has been introduced two months back, but there is no proper reach of this product. Please comment on the manufacturers efforts on the same.

GB Kumar :
  Hi Si Sailam, Dual core has been there in the market for past 6 months+ now(PDP 805, PDP 820). They are widely available from intel distributors in chennai and other locations. C2D(Core 2 Duo) processor was introduced in July and we will be focusing on significant ramp of this processor, beginning..

GB Kumar :
  Diwali season.

 Sonali,Shargee,Mumbai :
  Q: Does the Dual Core support the 915 Mother Board or the 945 Mother Board?

GB Kumar :
  Hi Sonali, PDP 820 and 805 & PDP 9xx series are supported by both these chipset based MBDs.

GB Kumar :
  However, C2D is supported by 945GEZ and 965 based boards.

 Sachin Modi,Gem Computers,Mumbai :
  Q: Sir, which segments should the partners focus on, when marketing the Dual Core processors?

GB Kumar :
  Hi Sachin, Dual core processors are mainstream now. You will see intel pushing PDP 805 & 820 aggressively at the entry level 20K Rs pricepoints while C2D based PCs will be targeted at around 30K Rs pricepoint.

 Anuj,Arman Marketing,Bangalore :
  Q: Why is it that Dual Core is identified in the laptop market & not in desktop market?

GB Kumar :
  Anuj, Dual core is very much identified both in the desktop and laptop markets. You have Core2Duo processors for laptops(Centrino Duo) and we have PDP and C2D processors for desktops which are all dual core.

 Inder,Friday Informatix,Delhi :
  Q: Does Intel have any plans to tie up with the OEMs

GB Kumar :
  Hi Inder, Intel already has relationships with OEMs-HCL, Zenith, Wipro and LG are our Local OEMs in india. HP, Lenovo, Acer and Dell are the MNC OEMs.

 Ms. Latika,Apple Computer,Delhi :
  Q: Intel is coming with there own PC in the market. Is intel using its own chip or is it using its own hardware as well? Please comment.

GB Kumar :
  Hi Latika, We have reference designs for targeted PCs for specific markets-Community PC and Affordable PC. We do not have any plans for Intels own PCs. We work with Channel OEMs and Local OEMs for building the PCs around these reference designs and they will sell as their own brand.

 Mr. Raj Kishor,Hi Tech Computer,Delhi :
  Q: Mr.Kumar, is dual core made for Gaming or Graphics?

GB Kumar :
  Hi Raj Kishor, Dual core is meant for mainstream PC usage(PDP 805, PDP 820, PDP 915, 925, 930, 945). C2D is our latest and greatest processor which is being targeted for best gaming and multitasking experience. C2D deliver 40% increased perf at 40% lower power consumption over any other PCs.

 Manish,Computer Gadgets,Bangalore :
  Q: How channel-friendly is the Dual Core initiative? Or is it a profit-making product for the manuafcturers?

GB Kumar :
  Manish, market is asking for high performance and low power consumption based processors. Dual core processors & C2D address this need very well. So, we are responding to the market needs. Having said this, we are committed to working with the channel for making them succesful with our prod roadmap.

 Anuj,Arman Marketing,Bangalore :
  Q: What is the difference between Dual Core1 & Dual Core+?

GB Kumar :
  Hi Anuj, I am not aware of Dual core and Dual core+ terminology. However...

GB Kumar :
  Pentium D Processor family stands for dual core desktop processors which has been there for an year now(805, 820, 9xx series). Core 2 Duo is the latest and greatest new microarch based processor from intel which delivers 40% better perf an 40% lower power consumption when compared to any other CPU.

 Sachin Modi,Gem Computers,Mumbai :
  Q: How should we, as partners convince the market to opt for the Dual Core?

GB Kumar :
  Sachin, Dual core offers better performance and lower power consumption. They are good for multitasking applications. C2D is the best in class gaming and multitaksing experience in town-period :-), All future applications will be optimised for dual core. Price differential between single core...

GB Kumar :
  ... and dual core proc based PCs is very minimal.

 Veera Raghavan,Adarsha Enterprises,Bangalore :
  Q: What are the benefits for the partners dealing in Dual Core? Also are these processors aimed at selective channel partners?

GB Kumar :
  Hi Veera, Dual core procs are aimed at all intel channel partners. We do believe that our channel should be able to make relatively better margins on DC PCs. All of our schemes/Demand gen program benefits are targeted for Dual core and above for channel.

 Nagaraj,Intergrated Computer Hardware,Chennai :
  Q: The channel partners think that these high end processors are not meant for every segment and are apprehensive to deal with them. Please comment.

GB Kumar :
  Dear Nagaraj, Dual core processors are not high end, they are mainstream and are avail at sub-20K pricepoints today...

GB Kumar :
  .. C2D proc based PCs offer best in class experience for gaming, graphics, multitasking applications and perf headroom for tomorrow. C2D PCs are available at ~30K Rs.

 Sachin Modi,Gem Computers,Mumbai :
  Q: Have the manufacturers researched on the segments that demand/ need Dual Core and communicated with partners?

GB Kumar :
  Hi Sachin, our product development is based on market understanding, research and technology that supports the same. Dual core is a step in that direction for continued performance enhancements at low power consumptions.

GB Kumar :
  ..we have communicated the same in intel channel training and conferences(ICC).

GB Kumar :
  

 Amit Agarwal,Aantra Web,Mumbai :
  Q: How fast will the Dual core technology become obsolete? Especially, after the introduction of the Quad Core Processors?

GB Kumar :
  Amit, Dual core as a technology will continue to be present for foreseeable future, definetely well into 2007. We will see top-to-bottom dual core PC options very soon starting from low end price points all the way upto C2D.

 Sudhir,Equis Systems,Bangalore :
  Q: Dont you think that Intel should focus more on sales promotion than Brand Building? How far will the channel be able to support the manufacturers in this race for memory and speed?

GB Kumar :
  Sudhir, Brand is an important aspect and promotions are important as well. we believe in working closely with our channel partners as we have always done in the past. We do believe that this is a mutual relationship. We also do believe that channels ability to sell more and sell high...

GB Kumar :
  .. will be augmented with intels efforts on brand building.

Moderator :
  We have another 5 minutes to go before the Chat concludes

 Mr. Raj Kishor,Hi Tech Computer,Delhi :
  Q: By when should we expect the new processors to touch India? How will Intel support its partners then?

GB Kumar :
  Dear Raj Kishor, Intel launches new processors simultaneously all over the world. C2D(Core 2 Duo) are the latest & best CPUs avail on this earth today and they are available from intel distis in india too. Majority of intel brand and promotion monies will be spent on C2D ramp this quarter.

 Ms. Latika,Apple Computer,Delhi :
  Q: Will Intel come out with any exciting promotional offers on the C2D during the festive season? Will partners also benefit from these offers or will they target end-users alone?

GB Kumar :
  Latika, the answer is yes. Pls stay tuned for the same. we are very excited about C2D perf, experience and are going to spend significant part of our efforts and resources in ramping quickly.

 M.Vennimalai,Aavanor,Chennai :
  Q: With the release of Quad Core slated for November, what will be the status of Dual Core? Will it become the celeron equivalent?

GB Kumar :
  Hi Vennimalai, Dual core and C2D will continue to be the desktop processors for mainstream PC and Performance PC respectively for foreseeable future. Quad Core will be available in servers only to begin with.

Moderator :
  Thank you Mr. Kumar for joining us on the chat.

GB Kumar :
  I like to thank our channel partners and channel times for this opportunity. It felt great participating in this session.

Moderator :
  We also thank all the participants. There are many pending questions, which will be forwarded to Mr. Kumar.

Moderator :
  Do join us for the next live Spotlight Chat on October 11th, 2006 at 11:00 am.