Next-gen Intel Pineview processors won’t come cheap
September 10, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Intel is set to launch official details on its next-generation Pineview Atom processors at the Intel Developer Forum on September 22nd. This should include the full family of chips targeted for netbook/mobile devices as well as pricing.
Fudzilla has pre-empted the pricing announcement, claiming to have details on the price of both the 1.66GHz N450 Atom and 1.83GHz N470 Atom processor. Whilst, it’s not surprising to learn that the faster N470 will cost $75, I did expect the N450 to a bit cheaper than the quoted price of $64.
This compares to the current most popular CPU for netbooks, the 1.6GHz N270 Atom, costing just $44. This means that newer netbooks will be tangibly more expensive than current netbooks based on the inclusion of Windows 7 and the newer Intel Pine Trail chips.
MSI to launch Pineview-powered touchscreen netbooks in December
August 18, 2009 at 11:19 am
MSI will launch netbooks using Intel’s next-generation Atom Pineview processors in December 2009 according to Digitimes. The Intel Pine Trail platform launch has been pushed back from October 2009 to Q1 2010, but the report says that MSI is planning to launch their netbooks ahead of schedule to avoid competition. This means the company would not need to compete on price.
The new netbooks will use the Windows 7 operating system and also come with touchscreen displays. MSI’s peers, such as Asus and Asustek, will be sticking with Intel’s schedule according to the report.
HP & MSI planning Pineview-powered tablet netbooks for H1 2010?
August 7, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Both Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Micro-Star International (MSI) are planning to launch convertible netbooks during the first half of 2010, according to Digitimes. MSI will be launching a 10-inch tablet netbook at the start of 2010, whilst HP plans a similar release for April/May 2010 manufactured by OEM Inventec.
The report says that both convertible netbooks will use Intel’s next-gen Pineview N450 Atom processor. It’s therefore very likely that they will be powered by Windows 7, taking advantage of the operating system’s touch features. It also says that Asus will be launching its 10-inch Eee PC T101 tablet netbook with Windows 7. The report goes on to say that Apple may be launching its tablet device as early as November 2009.
Via Electronista.
Atom N450 Pineview CPU pricing unveiled
August 7, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Pricing for Intel’s next-generation Pineview Atom processor has been revealed by Fudzilla. The 1.66GHz N450 Atom will cost $64 at launch, placing it $20 ahead of the popular 1.60GHz N270 CPU. This also puts it in line with the energy-efficient 1.60GHz Z530 at $65, which is rumoured to be axed for netbooks by the end of the year.
The N450’s price also sits unfavourably with the nettop dual-core 330 processor, which costs only $43. However, it is still cheaper than the CULV chipsets that costs $106. The report claims that the Atom N450 will launch in January 2010.
Looking at the pricing I can see, why some manufacturers may be hesitant to be moving over to new hardware. This price hike, along with the extra cost of Windows 7, means that these netbooks are likely to come at a tangible premium over current N270 XP-based models.
Intel denies axing Z Atom processors for netbooks
August 3, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Intel has responded to last week’s rumours that it would stop supplying the energy efficient Z-series of processors (mainly 1.33GHz Z520 and 1.60Ghz Z530) to netbook manufactures. The company flatly denies that this is the case.
“Rumours of ‘industry sources’ stating that Intel is no longer taking orders for Atom Z processors or ending production by end of year are 100% inaccurate,” a spokesperson told Reg Hardware.
So there you go, current netbooks using these chips such as the Asus Eee PC T91 &1101HA, Dell Mini 10 and the Sony Vaio P are safe for now. We still can’t see any new netbooks using this CPU once Pineview is out though. The N450 (1.66GHz) will be marginally faster than the Z530 Atom and should be more power efficient. The decision over which to use will mainly come down to cost, (If Intel are still supplying them by then).
No more netbooks with Intel Z Atom processors?
July 31, 2009 at 9:50 am
Netbooks will stop featuring the energy efficient Intel Z Atom processors, like the 1.33GHz Z520 and 1.6GHz Z530, according to a report from Digitimes. Apparently, Intel has informed all of its customers that it will no longer be accepting orders for these processors if they are to be used in netbooks. The company will still fulfil orders already made by netbook heavyweights such as Asustek, Acer and Micro-Star International (MSI).
Intel wants to completely end the supply of the Z Atom CPUs before the end of 2009. It wants to clearly define the netbook and MID segments and wants these chips to be used in MIDs only. Intel has made the move before completely running down its inventory levels. Read more
Intel’s next-gen Atom ‘Pine Trail’ platform not delayed [Video]
July 30, 2009 at 11:38 am
Intel’s Mooly Eden, general manager of the Mobile Platforms Group, refuted recent speculation that its next-generation Atom platform dubbed Pine Trail has been delayed. “Pine Trail is on schedule and you can quote me on that” said Eden at the Intel Technology Summit in San Francisco.
This would mean that they are still on track for the new chips to be released in the fourth quarter of this year. He also confirmed that demos of Pine Trail and the Pineview processor will be present at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in September. Read more
No new Asus/Acer netbooks for H209; Acer’s dual-boot Android netbook postponed
July 28, 2009 at 11:12 am
Two of the biggest netbook manufacturers, Asustek and Acer, will not be releasing any new netbook models in the second half of 2009 according to Digitimes. Both companies will instead concentrate on its CULV-based ultra-thin line-up during H209. The move by Intel to delay the launch of its Pine Trail platform (including Pineview processor) to Q1 2010 is one of the reasons both companies new netbook models have been pushed back.
This does not extend to models already announced, therefore Asus will still be launching its Eee PC T91 and T101 touchscreen netbooks. The report also suggests that an Asus Android model will launch in the second half. However, previous reports suggested we would not see an Asus Android netbook until Q1 2010 at the earliest. The Eee PC T101 is expected to launch after the launch of Windows 7 (October 22nd).
Acer will let its 10-inch Aspire One model fly the flag for Acer in H209 and it continues to reduce netbook marketing budgets and R&D spend in this area. Acer did announce an Android netbook that would dual-boot with Windows XP. The report says that the launch of this model has been postponed from its pencilled-in August launch date due to weak demand. There was no mention as to when it would likely launch instead.
Intel’s next-gen Atom ‘Pineview’ processor delayed to H1 2010?
July 21, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Intel’s Pine Trail platform that incorporates the next-generation Atom ‘Pineview’ processor may be delayed until early next year to keep manufacturers happy. According to a report from Digitimes Research senior analyst Joanne Chien, the move would be made to let the netbook market ‘settle’ following strong shipment sales.
Her analysis suggests that worldwide netbook shipments will peak in the third quarter this year at 8.3 million units before falling marginally to 8.2 million units in the fourth quarter. She says that Intel has delayed the launch of the new N450 processor to get the most out of the current N270/N280 Atom processors and help clear inventory before the new chips are introduced. Read more
First Intel N450 ‘Pineview’ netbooks shown off in September
July 17, 2009 at 3:01 pm
The next-generation Atom processors, dubbed Pineview, are scheduled for release by the end of the year. However, we won’t have to wait that long to see exactly what netbooks will use the next-gen platform.
Digitimes is reporting that Intel is planning on unveiling a number of products at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) which runs from 22-24 September in San Francisco. Among them are netbooks based on the N450 Atom processor as well as the company’s latest ultra-thin notebooks.
The Intel Atom N450 processor has the same clock speed as the current N280 (1.66GHz) but will benefit from running much cooler. The result should be netbooks that are thinner, fanless and have longer battery lives than we’ve seen so far. That’s the theory anyway…
Via Portable Monkey.
Netbook vendors clearing out XP inventory to make way for Windows 7?
June 30, 2009 at 11:24 pm
Microsoft announced its Windows 7 upgrade program earlier this week. The fact that Windows XP devices have not been earmarked for an upgrade has left some netbook vendors upset. They are concerned that this may lead to negative publicity in the netbook segment and are thus looking to clear XP-based netbook stock to make way for Windows 7.
This is not an opinion shared by all, as some vendors believe that consumers are not willing to pay a premium for the new Windows 7 OS. Some are only planning to bundle Windows 7 with Intel’s new Atom processor, the 1.66GHz Pineview N450. This will continue to leave netbooks based on the older processors (N270/N280) with Windows XP.
In related news, Asus is lowering prices of its 7-inch and 8.9-inch Eee PCs to try and clear inventory. According to sources in the retail channel, prices in Taiwan for 7-inch models have been lowered from NT$6,999 to NT$4,999 (US$153). In China, prices for the Eee PC 900A has been reduced to 1,499 Yuan (US$219). This price drops may start to impact Western markets shortly.
Via Digitimes.
Nvidia: ION outperforms Intel’s Pine Trail platform by 5-10x
June 17, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Whilst we are still yet to see official specifications of Intel’s next-generation Atom ‘Pineview’ processor and it’s platform dubbed ‘Pine Trail’, it has not stopped Nvidia from claiming that its ION platform will outperform Intel’s platform.
Nvidia ION pairs its 9400M GPU with an Intel Atom processor. As Intel’s Pineview processor moves its graphics to the processor, some analysts have commented that this could be bad news for Nvidia. However Dave Ragones, Nvidia product manager, disagrees. Read more
Atom N270/N280-based netbooks unlikely to get Windows 7
June 12, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Netbook manufacturers may end up keeping any models based on Intel’s N270 or N280 Atom processors running on Windows XP rather than upgrade to Windows 7. The rationale behind such a move is that due to intense competition in the netbook segment, putting prices up (as would be the case with Windows 7) would put them at a strategic disadvantage.
It is believed that the latest quotes from Microsoft on Windows 7 is around the $45-$55 mark. This compares to the OEM price of Windows XP which is around $25-$30. Although, other rumours have pointed to an XP price as low as $15. The top manufacturers are still negotiating with Microsoft to try and bring the price down.
However, vendors do not see Windows 7 being a big selling point when it comes to netbooks as they believe that most consumers believe Windows XP is good enough for a netbook. At the moment, Windows 7 is only being considered for the next generation of Atom ‘Pineview’ processors including 1.66GHz Atom N450 based devices.
Update: Samsung has said that it “will run Windows XP for as long as we can,” speaking to Laptop Mag. It said that as things stand, it wasn’t convinced of Windows 7 Starter Edition.
Via Digitimes.
First details on Intel ‘Pineview’ Atom N400, D400 & D500 processors
June 10, 2009 at 1:31 pm
The first details have emerged regarding Intel’s next-generation of Atom processors codenamed ‘Pineview’. According to industry sources in Taiwan, Intel is planning to launch the single-core Atom N400 series targeted for netbooks. The single-core Atom D400 and dual-core Atom D500 series will be targeted to the nettop market. This will be paired with the Intel NM10 Express chipset (codenamed ‘Tiger point’).
The first next-gen netbook Atom processor will be the N450, which will replace the 1.6GHz N270 Atom. The Pine Trail platform will see the current three-chip system move to two-chips, leading to lower costs, greater power efficiency and performance. For example, the new two-chip design (Intel N450 Atom + NM10 chipset) compared to the old three-chip platform (Intel Atom N270 + 945GSE + ICH7M) will result in a 64 percent space reduction from 2174mm2 to 773mm2. Read more
AMD looking to produce Intel Atom-beating CPU
June 8, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Intel has had the netbook processor market pretty much all to itself up until now. However, AMD CEO, Dirk Meyer, has revealed that the company is currently developing a platform to rival Intel Atom. To compete, he expects the AMD platform to be more power efficient and cheaper than Intel’s Atom platform.
Samples of the new platform will not be released until 2010, so it will have to go head-to-head with Intel’s next-gen platform called Pineview. Strangely though, Meyer confirmed that the platform will be targeted to notebooks only and NOT netbooks. He once again talked about the ‘netbook’ term disappearing over time. Read more
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