Don’t Leave Home Without It: Laptop At Top Of Vacationers’ Packing List This Summer

Intel Survey: Half of U.S. Families Likely to Vacation with Laptops in Future

SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 3, 2006 – Laptops join swimsuits and sunblock at the top of this summer’s packing list for vacationers, according to the “Intel Unwired Travel” survey¹ released today by Intel Corporation.

The survey of U.S. adult computer users commissioned by Intel and conducted by Harris Interactive® reveals that approximately four out of 10 (38 percent) respondents or their families have taken their laptops on vacation and over half (53 percent) are likely to take a laptop on a future vacation². The top three uses of laptops for vacationers aren’t work-related. The most popular uses were checking or sending personal email (79 percent), entertainment (60 percent) and finding information for vacation planning and activities (48 percent).

As consumers experience the benefits of an on-the-go, unwired lifestyle on a daily basis, they are more accustomed to the concept of unwiring and desire the same convenience and freedom while on vacation. With Intel® Centrino® Duo mobile technology, laptops have become slim, sleek and light weight, so vacationers can easily tote them along as their all-in-one resource for endless travel conveniences and entertainment – anytime, anywhere.

In fact, 61 percent of adult computer users agree that travel is better with wireless Internet access. Additionally, the survey found that people have used laptops in new ways and places while on vacation. Respondents reported using their laptop while hiking the Appalachian Trail and sending online love letters from the Eiffel Tower. Other travelers said they used their laptops while sitting in airport lounges and standing in hotel lobbies to book tickets, rental cars and hotel rooms, getting better rates online.

"Portable technology complements the traveler's options of traditional on-the-road resources such as guidebooks, maps and phrasebooks, all of which combine to enhance the travel experience," said Christina Tunnah, director of marketing of Lonely Planet, the world’s leading independent global travel information provider and publisher. "It's not just about connecting with friends and family back home, but connecting with the traveler's destination. While on the road, travelers are not only turning to Web sites such as LonelyPlanet.com for downloadable content and other travel services, but also to connect with active fellow travelers on travel blogs to get the latest information on a destination."

In addition to enjoying a wireless Internet connection in more well-known venues such as cafes, hotels and airports, the Intel survey indicates people would like to have wireless Internet access at their favorite outdoor venues and public places without wires, such as campgrounds (21 percent) and beaches, pools and marinas (20 percent). More than half (57 percent) would like to have wireless Internet access while in transit, including car, airplane, train and bus trips.

The number of worldwide public WiFi (wireless fidelity) hotspots is expected to reach 250,000 by 2008, up from virtually none 3 years ago, according to IDC**. Using laptops, such as those with Intel Centrino Duo, consumers can easily and quickly connect to hotspots.

Laptops: The On-the-Go Travel Concierge
Enhancing traditional travel guidebooks, paper maps, travel agents and hotel concierges, wirelessly enabled laptops have been cited as the preferred travel information resource while on vacation. Once just a productivity tool for travelers to stay in touch with the office and customers, laptops are increasingly becoming an invaluable tool for vacationing American families.

Sixty-eight percent of computer users agree that laptops are a great resource for solving travel problems while on vacation, while one-quarter of respondents (between the ages of 18-34) choose wirelessly enabled laptops as their primary travel resource while on vacation.

According to 66 percent of computer users, laptops are also great for personalizing entertainment while on vacation. When asked which forms of online entertainment they would most like to access with their laptop on their next vacation, 23 percent cited music, 21 percent selected movies and 29 percent chose games. Intel Centrino Duo-based laptops are powered by dual-core technology, or “two brains,” to provide the performance to do multiple tasks at once while the high-definition capabilities allows people to experience entertainment like never before. Listen to music with high-quality sound while conquering a favorite game, watch movies with stunningly visual realism while downloading photos. Enjoy all this content from virtually anywhere on one device.

Coming later this month, Intel dual-core laptops will come in even thinner, sleeker and lighter designs, ideal for family travelers. Laptops with the new ultra low voltage Intel® Core™ Duo are expected to consume a median average of less than a watt (.75 watts) – the lowest in the industry – while still delivering high-performing computing power.

About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is the 13th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides research-driven insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what could conceivably be the world’s largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in France and through a global network of independent market research firms. The service bureau, HISB, provides its market research industry clients with mixed-mode data collection, panel development services as well as syndicated and tracking research consultation. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at www.harrisinteractive.com. To become a member of the Harris Poll Online, visit www.harrispollonline.com.

Intel, Centrino, and Core are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

**IDC’s “Worldwide Hotspot 2005-2009 Forecast and Analysis: Trajectories of Growth in Different Regions”

1 “A Study about Laptops on Vacations,” an Intel-sponsored online omnibus survey conducted by Harris Interactive® in June 2006.

This survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Intel among 2,689 adult computer users (aged 18 and over) within the United States between June 9 and June 13, 2006. Figures for region, age within gender, education, household income and race/ethnicity were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. The data were also weighted on the basis of amount of time spent using a computer (in hours per week).

With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With a pure probability sample of 2,689 adults one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points. Sampling error for the sub-sample of those who have taken a laptop on vacation (n= 1,252) is +/- 4 percentage points. However that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

2 Fifty-three percent of U.S. adult computer users indicated they are “very likely,” “likely” or “somewhat likely” to take a laptop computer with them on a future vacation.