With the display of its experimental Personal Servers (PS), Intel is betting on a product which is a compromise between the PDA and laptops, the current mobile devices. Researchers at Intel believe that the middle path could be to move data around rather the entire system. The PS comes without any traditional IO capabilities like keyboards or display. So individuals can carry gigabytes  of data in a card-sized device and can connect data, thanks to the inbuilt wireless features and the use of external infrastructure like displays, TVs, printers, etc. Given the increasing popularity of the wireless standard-based devices like Bluetooth and 802, these continue to sell in large numbers. For example, Bluetooth-based devices sold about 33 million units in 2002, up by 250%. Also 802 standard-based devices sold about 13 million units.

Intel is betting that the popularity will drive third-party companies like TV or display manufacturers to ship their products with the ability to connect to wireless devices. Such infrastructure is the key to successful deployment of the personal servers. Intel is not betting on when it will be able to commoditize this product as this will depend on the development of the external infrastructure. Until then, the key market for the personal server will be individuals shifting data to and fro between the office and the home, like the current Pen drives.