Well . . . for now. If we’ve learned anything these days, it’s how quickly today’s mainframe becomes tomorrow’s pocket calculator. And so it will be for the vaunted Pentium. Already a successor looms on the horizon: a new-generation microprocessor from Intel Corp., code-named the P6. Intel insists the wondrous chip is still in “testing.” In fact, knowledgeable sources report it’s almost ready to go–and that Intel is waiting to get more life out of its older sister chip, the hugely popular Pentium. Small wonder that trade publications such as PC Week are awash in bubbly (if arcane) talk of “clock speeds,” “data caches” and “micron widths.” The P6 is supposed to be dazzlingly powerful, potentially two (even three) times as fast as the Pentium. What’s more, it’s designed to eke maximum performance out of an emerging generation of multimedia and communications software built around Microsoft’s new Windows 95 operating system. Intel’s shy about disclosing its production schedule, but NEWSWEEK has learned that a modest batch of P6 computers could be out as early as October.
Intel has long thrived by innovating ruthlessly. By the time rivals come out with a challenger, Intel has already moved on to the next generation, confident that great technology will find a market. Intel introduced the first Pentium just two years ago, and even experts were astounded at how quickly it came to dominate. A year ago, for instance, giant Compaq Computer concluded the Pentium would be too expensive for most consumers–and declined to pack it into its PCs. Today Pentiums drive almost every computer the company sells. “Shame on us” for being so shortsighted, says marketing director Michael Lambert. Compaq isn’t making the same mistake again. It will test its first P6 machines with a selected group of power users later this month. A high-end commercial model will be in stores by December, at prices from $3,000 to $6,000, and the first consumer P6s should be out by April or May.
No one expects the new chip to quickly displace the Pentium, chiefly because Intel won’t let it. Every P6 that is sold represents a Pentium that isn’t, says John Wharton, a Silicon Valley consultant. For that reason, Intel will hold off producing the chip in large volumes until competitors start selling cut-price Pentium clones. Most analysts figure that won’t happen for another year or more. But Intel aims to move quickly. It plans to introduce a small number of P6s in October or November, according to executive vice president Carl Everett, capable of speeds approaching 150 megahertz (the rate at which the microprocessor cycles through programming instructions). Most of these chips will be used in powerful workstations and “servers,” the quasi mainframes that distribute data around networks of smaller PCs. Progressively more advanced chips will follow. “By early 1997 the P6 will move into the mainstream,” says Michael Slater, editor of the authoritative Microprocessor Report. Speeds could easily exceed 300 MHz, roughly three times the performance of today’s top Pentium.
Does that mean PC buyers should ignore those glossy ads and wait for the P6? No. For one, Intel probably won’t cut prices (and start shipping in bulk) until the Pentium falters. Buyers will get more bang for their buck by not waiting. More important, Intel isn’t done with the Pentium. Toward the middle of next year, Intel executives confirm, the company plans to introduce a variety of so-called extensions to the chip, giving it even more versatility and power. Some of these add-on features will bolster the Pentium as a communications device, especially in handling large amounts of data. Others will boost its speed in handling full-motion video and 3-D graphics. That may be why some analysts wonder whether the world at large even needs a new chip. With the Pentium, they say, “clock speeds” have reached the point where they exceed the demands of even the most robust software. As consultant Wharton puts it, “Ooooh, yes, the P6 is a neat chip. It’s also faster than it needs to be.”
< b>HISTORY OF THE PC CHIP AT INTEL
The first micro-computer chip. Introduced in 1971, it revolutionized the electronics industry.
Chosen by IBM for its PC in 1981, establishing Intel’s products as the industry’s standard.
More commonly known as the 286, this microprocessor virtually ran all IBM PCs and their clones in the early ’80s.
It made speed and performance matter to PC users. Sales took off, propelling Intel into the industry’s No. 1 slot.
Launched in 1989, it performed up to 50 times faster than the 8088, providing enough juice to run the newest multimedia software.
Designed to satisfy power-hungry PC users, the latest version of this chip processes 219 million instructions per second.
The sixth-generation chip–due later this year–is expected to perform twice as fast as last year’s Pentiums.
