Ubuntu's Partnership With ARM To Threaten Intel In Netbook Segment

Canonical, the company behind popular Open Source operating system, Ubuntu, have announced that they will work more closely with British mobile phone chip designer, ARM.

According to the BBC, a version of Ubuntu, specifically designed for devices built around ARM, will be released in April 2009 and could see netbooks and similar gadgets out of the door by June 2009 at Taiwan's Computex fair.

More specifically, Ubuntu will be porting its OS to the ARM 7 Processor architecture which includes Cortex-A8 and Cortex-A9 that consumes a fraction of the power of current rivals from Intel and AMD.

Interestingly, Ubuntu (Mobile) could possibly come up with smart tricks to reduce power consumption and improve battery life.

Ubuntu is popular on desktops and laptops where it won plaudits for its sleek user interface as well as its plug-and-play approach.

The annoucement could spell trouble for Intel which has been riding the Netbook wave over the last year or so as hardware manufacturers supporting ARM look set to launch ARM-equipped Netbooks.

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The arrival of ARM processors in this segment would bring much needed competition and could accelerate the production of netbooks that sport screens of up to 10-inch or more, which would encroach on Intel's lucrative ultra portable laptop market.

ARM designs processors and chips for most of the world's mobile and smart phones; the G1 Android as well as Apple's iPhone.

Ubuntu already has a Mobile Internet Device Edition which runs on Intel's Platform only for now.