We've never been so confused about a processor launch date as we are now. Actually, it's Intel that appears the most confuzzled over when exactly Ivy Bridge will make its official debut, as conflicting and incomplete reports continue to surface. The latest we're hearing is that Ivy Bridge is definitely being delayed until June, but let's back up a moment and see if we can make some sense of it all.
It's fair to say that Intel has conquered the desktop market and will probably remain on top for a long time to come, but it when it comes to mobile platforms like tablets and smartphones, ARM is the one with a stranglehold on the market. The Santa Clara chip maker has long said it plans to make a serious run at mobile devices, and starting soon, you'll see a bunch of smartphones sporting Intel inside.
Mobile World Congress is now in full swing, which means an added emphasis on mobile devices and related technology announcements. One of the more interesting to come out of MWC is Qualcomm's unveiling of its upcoming Snapdragon S4 Pro MSM8960 processor. The S4 Pro adds a bit of graphical kick with an Adreno 320 GPU baked in.
It's looking as though Intel's initial Ivy Bridge roll out might end being mostly a paper launch with just a small volume of processors being made available in early April. If that's the case, you can expect what little stock is put out there to sell out quick, possibly at inflated prices, especially in the second-hand market (places like eBay and Craigslist, for example).
Boutique system builders have been pushing Intel's Core i7 3930K and 3960X processors pretty hard, and they're both high potency options if you're cruising the pre-built scene for a Sandy Bridge-E system. They're also a bit pricey. Enter iBuyPower, which has now begun offering a less expensive Sandy Bridge-E option for gamers who want to invest in an Intel X79 foundation without overspending on a CPU.
A Chinese website posted details about six upcoming AMD Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) built around the chip maker's Trinity architecture. These include a pair of dual-core processors and four quad-core parts with improved graphics. Half of the new lineup will ship with a Black Edition label, a designation reserved for processors with unlocked multipliers.
Intel and AMD know a thing or three about processors, and between the two, there's barely any room left over in the desktop market for competing players. In the mobile handset and tablet sectors, however, both chip giants play second fiddle to ARM, which rules the mobile roost with low power processors. The reason for this is simple: ARM processors are cheaper.
With all the focus on mobile chips and as-yet-unreleased Ivy Bridge and Trinity processors, sometimes it's easy to lose sight of the fact that, you know, there are already a ton of processors out there for you to choose from. That number recently increased by two, as AMD quietly rolled out a pair of new Athlon II X4 CPUs, otherwise known as "Llano chips without integrated graphics."
Some interesting revelations are coming out of the court battle between Hewlett-Packard and Oracle. At issue is Oracle's decision to stop supporting Intel's Itanium platform based on claims the processors are nearing end-of-life (EOL) status, the timing of which is suspect. Oracle made the decision to ditch Itanium after hiring former HP CEO Mark Hurd, which itself prompted a legal battle and subsequent settlement. Not long after, Oracle said it was ditching Itanium, HP cried foul, and a big legal mess ensued. Some of it was resolved last night.
Intel updated its processor price list on Sunday. While nothing seems to have changed where the prices of existing chips are concerned, a careful look at the updated list reveals that it contains as many as seven new Sandy Bridge processors. Hit the jump for more.
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