Intel talks about its post-PC era offering at CES

Intel Curie

Intel prepared quite a show for CES attendees, involving drones, wearables and more. Connected health and fitness (mostly sports, though) was also on chip maker’s agenda, as it was demoing the capabilities of its $10 tiny computer module, Curie, in plenty of action sports gear.

So we saw Intel announcing partnership with ESPN to install Curie modules into the snowboards used for the men’s slope-style and Big Air competitions. The hardware will transmit real-time data about athlete performance, such as jump height, in-air rotation and the force that they hit the ground with. These stats will then be pushed to the TV studio for commentators to bring up when discussing participants’ performance.

Intel is teaming-up with ESPN to install Curie modules into the snowboards used for the men’s slope-style and Big Air competitions.Another deal was with Red Bull Media House to help put Curie technology into a BMX bike to provide riders with actionable data points on their stunts.

A somewhat different was partnership with Oakley over a “smart eyewear” called Radar Pace that would monitor your performance as you go. This product will also offer voice-activated real-time coaching once it launches in late 2016, though we’re still not sure it’s ready for the general public. It is probably a product of Intel’s acquisition of Recon Instruments.

Intel is by no means in the prime of its life. The chip maker has seen its traditional market of PCs and laptops becoming increasingly irrelevant. Meanwhile, the mobile industry is dominated by Qualcomm, MediaTek and a growing number of vendors making their own chips. Turning to other markets, such as wearables and drones, seems like a way of the future. It, however, remains to be seen whether strong support for these new industries can put Intel in the top spot it held for so long in the “PC era.”