Intel Corp. is preparing to unveil a significant change in the underlying technology of its computer chips, one that emphasizes power efficiency and multitasking as much as raw speed.
The change, which Intel has billed as its “next-generation architecture,” involves alterations to the circuit design of its microprocessors, the central chips in personal computers, which it sells today under the Pentium brand name.
In materials released ahead of the gathering, the company said the new technology will allow for energy-efficient chips that can be used in sleeker boxes than today’s often clunky desktop machines.
Can you say, “Power Mac” or Powerbook”?
“When they did the Pentium M, they were under tight constraints on power,” said Nathan Brookwood, an independent technology analyst and consultant. “Now, desktop and server are facing similar kinds of constraints. It’s not so much battery life as it is noise, just the physics of cooling a really hot, small chip,” he said.
Is this what Steve Jobs meant when he said, “Intel processors provide more performance per watt than PowerPC processors do”?
Boy, what a marketing team Intel must have to call going back to PIII architectures and following the path that the team who did Pentium M took. So I guess AMD was right in their claim that short pipes=more calcs per second. But what really takes the cake now is how Intel is claiming they developed the 64 bit technology they took from AMD. They’re getting as bad as Sony with their marketing BS. I cringe every time I hear somebody say that Intel CPU’s are “more compatible”. Holy cripes.
Is this what Steve Jobs meant when he said, “Intel processors provide more performance per watt than PowerPC processors do”?
Probably.
He mentioned that IBM’s PowerPC chips were still good performers – now – but that the roadmap for future chips was what made Apple decide to shift to Intel.
I’m still waiting to see what PowerPC-based computers are released before the Intel-based computers ship – Jobs said there would be some.
John, did you read about Apple removing their old “Switcher” ads from their website? I guess they really have to stop kicking sand in Intel’s face. 🙂
A word is worth more than a watt. If it works we are for it. I have nothing against Apple, but I always though it was goofy. In a good Disney kind of way. The whole Power Mac trip reminds me of the Power Blogging. I like the performance per watt idea. That’s enough.
I cringe every time I hear somebody say that Intel CPU’s are “more compatible”.
But of course they are more compatible! The problem is that the sentence is incomplete: more compatible WITH or THAN what? Why, with Intel chips than non-Intel chips. 🙂