SAN FRANCISCO-Intel Corp. jumped to record earnings in its fourth-quarter results with $2.17 billion, or 33 cents a share, a contrast to its $1.05 billion, or 16 cents a share in the same period last year.
The company also introduced a product that enables 802.11b and g in one solution for notebook PCs based on its Intel Centrino mobile technology.
“The fourth quarter was a fitting way to put three tough years behind us,” said Paul Otellini, president of Intel.
The chipmaker enjoyed sales of $8.74 billion for the quarter, trumping its previous record of $8.73 billion in 2000. The figure represents a 22-percent boost in sales of $7.16 billion in last year’s fourth quarter.
Its gross margin was 63.6 percent, beating its projection of 62 percent.
The report, however, did not boost its shares, which dropped slightly.
“We ended the year on a high note as ongoing strength in emerging markets coupled with improving demand in established markets drove revenue to record levels,” said Craig Barrett, the company’s chief executive.
Intel’s new solution, known as PRO/Wireless 2200BG network connection, allows up to 54 million bits of data to be transferred per second, it said.
“It is designed to maintain high throughput at longer ranges in office or home environments, along with efficient use of power to enable longer system battery life,” said Intel.
