Are Tablet Atom Processors Too Expensive?
Are Tablet Atom Processors Too Expensive?
Posted 03/11/2011 at 1:43pm
| by Paul Lilly
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Few would argue that Intel did a great job positioning its Atom processor platform as the de factor standard for netbooks. If you buy a netbook, chances are high it's sporting Intel inside. In the still emerging tablet market, however, Intel has some ground to make up, and pricing could end up holding the chip maker back.
According to news and rumor site Fudzilla, Intel's Oak Trail Atom Z670 processor for tablets will cost manufacturers a mind-boggling $75 at launch. If true, that would make it one of the most expensive single core Atom chips so far, almost four times higher than Tegra 2 at $20. It's also three times more than the rumored $25 price tag Intel was to attach to the chip for OEMs agreeing to use MeeGo as their OS, SlashGear reports.
On the hardware side, the Z670 comes clocked at 1.5GHz and has 512KB cache. It's a single core chip with two threads, so it's difficult to see the reasoning behind Intel's high price tag, if in fact Fudzilla's info is correct.
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livebriand
March 12, 2011 at 1:59pm
Why can't we just use AMD Fusion CPUs in tablets? The performance kicks Intel Atom's ass and the battery life is still pretty good, though a bit less than what Atom can provide.
Gezzer
March 13, 2011 at 1:08am
Not too sure about the thermals on the Fusions. But other then that I'd go for a Fusion powered tablet any day over an Atom. I finally had to jump ship from AMD when the socket 1156 came out. Before that every system I owned was AMD based. Last Intel I had before the 1156 was a 166MMX, socket 7 no less.
Gezzer
March 13, 2011 at 1:10am
"$25 price tag Intel was to attach to the chip for OEMs agreeing to use MeeGo as their OS"
I think that says it all. It's less about driving Atom sales and more about driving MeeGo adoption.
Kind of makes sense if you think about it. Never used MeeGo myself, but I would think Intel's not going to see mass adoption unless they do something like this. Android, iOS, and even Win7 would be the ones consumers would want IMHO, so it's "dirty tricks" time.
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