Processors

Slim chance of Apple-Intel chip deal anytime soon, analysts say

Intel merrily building processors for Apple's iPhone and iPad is a nice thought. So, hold on to that thought for at least a couple of years.

Until then, Samsung's in the way. That chipmaking giant has a factory in Austin, Texas, for building iPhone and iPad processors -- now and well into the future.

And Samsung seems to be doing a pretty good job. Courtroom wrangling alone won't necessarily drive an immediate wedge between the two companies if Samsung delivers the goods, which it has done pretty consistently.

Then there's the other big obstacle to an Intel deal: … Read more

Heads up DIYers, supply of Intel circuit boards may dry up

Intel desktop circuit boards may begin to get scarce.

The chipmaker cut back on motherboard orders by 80 percent to only 100,000 units, claims an Asia-based Digitimes report, citing sources in the "supply chain."

A person familiar with Intel's motherboard business contacted by CNET could not confirm whether the 80 percent figure was accurate but said the general thrust of the report was correct, as Intel announced in January that it was winding down the desktop motherboard business.

"We disclosed internally...that Intel's desktop motherboard business will begin slowly ramping down over the course … Read more

Intel touts multiscreen flexibility with 'display as a service'

HANOVER, Germany--Intel today debuted a technology called display as a service (DAAS) that it hopes will transform how people use their gadgets.

The technology breaks the hard link between a video source and a screen the way virtualization software breaks the hard link between an operating system and a processor. With DAAS, people can view what's on their tablet on a big-screen TV, mirror the same imagery on multiple displays, or link up multiple displays to create a single, bigger display.

Another possibility, which Intel Labs' Divya Kolar described on blog post, is to combine multiple devices' video onto … Read more

Laptop using future Intel 'Haswell' chip surfaces

Intel's new "Haswell" chip design is just around the corner. But we're already getting a peek at finished products, courtesy of a German PC vendor.

High-end laptops with Intel's upcoming fourth-generation Core series of chips appeared on DevilTech's site, according to Heise online.

Unannounced Intel silicon in those rigs includes quad-core Core i7s, such as the 4800MQ and 4900MQ.

And speaking of leaks, Haswell chips are actually up for pre-order on some online retailers.

For those who follow Intel chip rollouts closely, the chipmaker usually debuts quad-core mobile chips first and then follows up … Read more

Sorry, PC makers. Shipments will likely fall this year, IDC says

This year isn't looking much brighter for PC makers than last, IDC said today as it cut its expectations for 2013 computer shipments.

The tech research firm said it expects computer shipments to drop 1.3 percent this year, worse than its prior view for a 2.8 percent rise. And that decline comes after a 3.7 percent slide in 2012.

"Disappointing holiday sales, an underwhelming reception to Windows 8, and continuing economic malaise that further crimped IT budgets marked the face of the market during the second half of 2012, leading to a year-on-year decline of … Read more

Intel's best shot at tablets hasn't arrived yet

Intel won't have its best shot at mobile salvation until late this year. Let's hope that's not too late.

As of today, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Dell, Samsung, and Acer, among others, are all shipping high-profile Windows 8 tablets and hybrids with Intel's "Clover Trail" Atom processor.

And all are billed as running "all your favorite Windows applications."

The problem is that Atom still isn't up to the task, as CNET Reviews and many other reviewers have pointed out.

In short, it's Netbook deja vu all over again. Atom-based Netbooks were never … Read more

Intel talks new chips, partners at Mobile World Congress

A year ago, Intel's CEO took the stage at Mobile World Congress to tout new partnerships and talk up the benefits of Intel's mobile chips.

At that time, the Santa Clara, Calif., semiconductor maker's presence in the smartphone market was essentially nonexistent. Today, Intel has 10 phones shipping in 20 countries (though not the U.S.), and it keeps improving its power consumption and performance.

While that's good progress, Intel still has a long way to go, as the company readily admits. It hopes the new chips it's officially launching today at MWC 2013 will … Read more

Intel claims 'superiority' over ARM in phone video

Intel is turning up the bravado in a new video that boasts "superiority" over ARM in phones.

Intel may be engaging in a bit of ad copy puffery with this caption penned by Francois Piednoel: "A little demo of x86 superiority over ARM."

Intel's first dual-core phone chip, Clover Trail+, isn't shipping in products yet, so it's by no means clear if it can out-benchmark and outlast phones based on the newest ARM chips from Qualcomm, Nvidia, and Samsung.

That said, the phone that the Clover Trail+ processor will debut in is worth … Read more

Nvidia unveils first mobile processor with integrated LTE

Nvidia's big chance to expand into smartphones has arrived and it's called Tegra 4i.

The company today unveiled its new mobile chip that integrates its app processor and 4G LTE on the same piece of silicon. The processor, previously codenamed "Project Grey," includes 60 Nvidia GPU cores, a 2.3 GHz quad-core CPU based on ARM Holdings' R4 Cortex-A9 architecture, a fifth low-power CPU core, and a version of Nvidia's i500 LTE modem.

Nvidia expects Tegra 4i to appeal to smartphone makers and help it better address that key market. While the Santa Clara, Calif., … Read more