Intel’s head of mobile, Aicha Evans, is reportedly leaving Intel according to a report out of The Wall Street Journal on Friday. Evans was part of Intel for 10 years, and was the head of the Communication and Devices Group, as well as part of the Platform Engineering Group. However her main role was in charge of the modems that Intel sells for mobile devices, as well as processors, like the one in the ASUS Zenfone 2. According to the report out of WSJ, this move may be part of a bigger managerial shift at the company’s mobile division. It’s no secret that Intel’s mobile division has been struggling for a few years, despite the fact that Intel has been wanting to get into the mobile game and compete with the likes of Qualcomm, Samsung, Huawei, MediaTek and others.
In interviews over the last few months, Evans stated that she believes that Intel “Lost the handset battle” in 2004. This was when they were working on WiMax and the rest of the industry was on LTE. She also referred to the iPhone in 2007 and misreading that launch. She actually said it gave Intel a heart attack. Looking at how big the iPhone is now, it’s not hard to imagine that.
The problem for Intel seems to be carrier certification as well as manufacturers jumping on board to use their processors and modems. Of course, that’s coming from us who are on the outside looking in. Considering we aren’t privy to the discussions that go on between Intel and their partners. The ASUS Zenfone 2’s processor which was the Intel Atom Z3580, got high praise from everyone that used it. Most reviewers noted that it was nice and fast and didn’t notice any lag or stutters in the device. However Intel lacks the features that Qualcomm has in their processors, most notably Quick Charge technology.
Currently, this report has not been confirmed. But where it’s coming out of The Wall Street Journal, it’s highly likely that it is true. As soon as it’s made official – likely next week – we’ll be sure to let everyone know.