Intel touts power of upcoming Yonah laptop chip

Intel Corp. said on Tuesday its next-generation platform for laptop computers will use 25 percent less power while boosting performance, helping it stay on top of the fast-growing market, Reuters reports.

The overhaul of the company's Centrino technology, code-named "Napa," comes as preps for a boost from laptop sales, which are growing faster than the overall computer market.

At the heart of Napa is Intel's new Yonah microprocessor, which will make its debut in early January as the first mobile chip to sport dual cores. It reportedly includes the latest technology that etches circuitry more than 100 times thinner than a human hair.

The napa platform and Yonah processor will use 28-percent less power while performing 68 percent better than its predecessor, Keith Kressin, Intel's marketing chief for mobile platforms, told reporters.

"The twin cores mean users can perform several tasks at the same time," said Reuters. "For instance, one core could update a spreadsheet while the other displays a graphics-heavy presentation without slowing down."

Yonah will also do its part to extend battery life beyond the 5-hour mark, improve wireless bandwidth, and help cut the size of notebooks by 30-percent, according to eWeek

Sources have previously said that Apple aims to be one of the first computer makers to introduce systems based on Intel's new dual-core chips, with the strong possibility of the first Intel Mac laptop making its debut during the second week of January.