Tech and media titans of every stripe are staking out territory in the new, interactive Web. Intel Capital (INTC), the investment arm of the world's biggest computer chipmaker, wants to leave its mark through a deal with several startups to build a package of publishing, posting, and interactive newsgathering programs for businesses. The product, called SuiteTwo, will be available early 2007 and will sell for $175 to $200 per user, per year.
The three-day Web 2.0 summit, a conference dedicated to all things new Web, served as a fitting backdrop for Intel's announcement. For the past three years, the event has gathered representatives from new high-tech companies to discuss emerging Internet applications and the burning question of whether they can make money. Until now, the business model for many new Web companies has been to draw big online audiences with free, or inexpensive, products and then rely on advertising for the bulk of revenue. Intel's announcement offered another, more traditional, model: charge businesses software subscription fees.
