Nehalem, mobile focus, and solid-state drives
Next-generation Nehalem on show but locked awayIntel's chiefs were also keen to promote its next-generation, platform-wide architecture, code-named Nehalem. In our eyes, at least, Nehalem is what Core 2 should have been in the first place - an excellent processing core that's complemented by high-bandwidth, low-latency memory controllers, all hooked up by super-fast link(s) to the platform.
There's little sensible reason to doubt that Nehalem, in its various platform guises, will do anything other than give AMD a continued bloody nose. Intel will cash-in on the big 'N' by releasing it as a premium (read expensive) range of SKUs in late 2008. Readers looking for economically-priced models will need to wait until mid-2009, we reckon. Shame that Intel's bosses decided that no benchmarking was allowed on the apparently 3.20GHz-clocked machine that we stole a look at.
Incremental mobile updates, as expected
Centrino 2, released in June, will finally bring an Intel mobile platform with integrated graphics that work, and work well, it seems. Adequate gaming power will be allied to hardware-assisted high-definition playback, along with increased external connectivity - DisplayPort, for example. Intel's mobile processors will have range-wide 45nm love, lowering TDPs and extending battery-life.
As far as we're concerned, The Intel Centrino 2 vs. AMD Puma fight is one of the more intriguing battles of H2 2008. Intel's mobile Penryn chips should performance-spank their Griffin counterparts with consummate ease, but the overall platform proposition, taking price into account, is considerably less clear-cut right now.
Looking further ahead, mobile Nehalem-powered Centrino 3 platform will bring greater power and still-higher energy efficiency to bear.
Solid-state drives to skyrocket in '08.
Intel is adamant that the imminent release of a slew its solid-state drives will cause consternation within the nascent industry. It'll roll out a number of high-capacity drives - up-to 160GB - whose controllers enable class-leading performance in both 1.8- and 2.5in form-factors, it claims. Couple these with a Centrino 2 platform for excellent performance and great battery-life, was the mantra on day two, and it's hard to ignore that kind of logic when the numbers seem so convincing.
Summary
Your desktop's power will continue to increase over the next year, fuelled by Nehalem-derived processors and as-yet-unquantifiable impact that Larrabee will have.
The real boon will arrive in the mobile space, Intel reckons. The Atom processor will help revolutionise and reinvigorate the stalling MIDs market, if partners' device pricing is sub-$500. Low-cost netbooks and nettops appear to plug and exploit an easily-identifiable demand in the worldwide market, with the rather large proviso that pricing, again, is low, low, low.
We wait to see just how well Intel's own SSDs perform and what impact their high-capacity introduction will have on magnetic-based drives.
No earth-shattering advancements in technology, we're afraid, but the next year will bring more power and greater features to the server, desktop, and mobile spaces, if Intel and its partners can execute on announced strategy. It's not all bad, is it?
Tech not got you excited? Check out the 'light field camera'.
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