The big chip boys of Intel are getting ready for the upcoming year when they will jump into the tablet market head first. Intel chips already go into more than half of PC’s around the world, but this is not enough as the trends swing towards mobility. While the tablet world is still young, with companies Apple and Android still infantile when it comes to new advancements, Intel is looking to make the tablet run faster using less power.
Meet the Atom chip. Released in 2008, the Atom is an ultra-low-voltage microprocessor that is used mainly in mobile devices like netbooks. What will we see for the future of this chip? After only two years the computer technology has changed dramatically with the introduction of smartphones and tablets. It is hard to tell what the outcome will be, but Intel has already got the interest of major PC companies on the idea of a processor that can be run on either a tablet or a more mobile device.
But first, what is a processor and how does it work?
The CPU stands for Central Processing Unit, and goes back to the 60′s when the first computers were coming out. The primary function of the CPU is to execute a series of numbers or instructions called a program. The processes of this unit first “fetch” the instruction from the program through following a sequence of numbers, then “decode” it by finding the operation code or group of numbers specific to a certain function. The next step is the execution of the data, in which the CPU is organised to complete the action. In other words, once you click on a program the CPU runs the numbers attributed to that program so that is reaches the end result, loading the program for you to use.
Microprocessors like this one which was the first Intel made, came into existence in the 70′s. Microprocessors have become such a widely used part of personal computers that when you think CPU, you think microprocessor.
Integrated Electronics Corporation, founded in 1968, has been the number one chip maker bringing the stored programs to a fast and reliable place in computer technology. They have since branched out to make graphics chips, motherboard chipsets, integrated circuits, and flash memory. They are at the forefront of technology when it comes to installing programs in computers.
Now they are getting into the cutting edge that stretches around the tablet. There is the Apple iPad, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, and the Android Tablet leading the tablet race. But there are so many different types of tablets coming out that it is ridiculous to presume anything. One thing I can presume is that Intel will be making deals and getting their hands inside the new tablets to come, making them contenders in the tablet market.
But that is not all they are working on. Code named Sandy Bridge, Intel is marking a new epoch in the annals of low end graphics processing. With this new chip, expected to ship in volume in 2011, there will be improved graphics as well as a boost in graphic and video performance.
Stay tuned to the Geek Choice Blog for updates on this developing technology.
