We saw the next generation of Intel hardware during this week at Intel's developer forum.  This hardware promises vastly greater performance or vastly less power consumption in what could be a completely new class of devices. 

Multi-Core Kicks out MHz

Since the beginning of the PC, we have measured performance by MHz; Intel is signaling that is about to end, however, as they focus on adding cores rather than just speed to increase performance.  They are currently selling two core products and indicated they have four core products in the development process, with more and more cores likely to follow.  As the parts flow to market, this move should dramatically increase your ability to multi-task and more effectively have your computer address threats like viruses and serve several users at once.  The second capability is thought to be critical for media distribution in the home and it certainly could make games vastly more complex and realistic over time. 

On the mobile side, it allows for systems that can more effectively ramp down performance to conserve battery life, based on what the machine is being used for.  For instance, if all you need to do is email you could shut all but one core down, dramatically cutting power used by the processor.  Intel promised a 10x performance increase or a 10x power benefit; the word "or" implies a level of flexibility in system design we clearly haven't had before.  The only downside is that for those of us who have held off buying a new office heater because our PCs provide that service, it will be time to rethink that decision. 

The Death of ARM

One interesting announcement was a .5 watt part that is x86 based.  There was no mention of ARM on stage; this suggests Intel is finally responding with a similar strategy to the x86 everywhere initiatives from AMD and VIA.  While this doesn't bode well for ARM in the long term, it does suggest that Intel is moving back to a strategy that they should have been leading since the beginning. 

While they didn't showcase any new products using this part, it is in development; you could imagine it wherever ARM currently is, including phones, hand-held computers, portable media players, and navigation systems.  It heralds a new age of portable devices that are much more similar to their PC counterparts than they have been; that change should result in lower prices for products that are easier to use.  Neither is a bad thing. 

Laptops Get Tiny

Showcasing just how small a laptop can be, Intel revealed a number of hand-held laptop prototypes.  One was particularly interesting in that it had three keyboards:  One that popped out from the right side and contained only multi-media controls (much like a media player today), one that popped out from the left side like a RIM Blackberry keyboard, and one that popped out from the bottom like a small laptop keyboard.  By selecting the keyboard you selected the mode the laptop functioned in; while this design was likely too complex and costly for the market, the concept was interesting and clearly innovative. 

Attendees have a closer look at the products and demos shown during Intel CEO Paul Otellini's keynote at Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, August 23, 2005.

The idea of a pocket-able laptop continues to interest many of us; Intel promised that their version would have battery life approaching that of smart phones, while retaining much of the functionality of a laptop and providing the connectivity options of both.  OQO led the way with this and it is interesting that Intel is now validating that market.