Intel’s low-power, low-price Atom processor is showing up in all sorts of ultramobile devices this summer, ranging from UMPCs and netbooks to low-power desktops. But an Intel official tells Information Week that strong Atom sales don’t appear to be hurting the company’s sales of other, more powerful (and expensive) chips. Rather, the Atom is opening up a new market.

That makes sense, since Atom chips are largely going into the kind of device that most people will pick up as a second or third computer. For most people, an Eee PC with a 7 to 10 inch display isn’t a replacement for a good laptop computer. Rather, it’s a device that you can throw in a bag and take with you when you need to do some light weight work on the go. If you want to play games or edit videos, you can do it on an underpowered device like the Eee PC, but there are plenty of computers that are better designed for CPU-intensive tasks.

[via Engadget]