Chipmakers Mull Mobile Multi-Core Marketing Moves
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Published:
Week 27
July 2011 -
Image Source:
Qualcomm, TI, Nvidia
Summary
The markets for tablets and high-end smartphones continue to be characterized by increasing raw processing capabilities. Processor specifications have become regular, if not primary, features of consumer marketing and promotional material.
The 1 GHz CPU has led the way. Throughout 2010 and 2011, consumers have been exposed to advertising and point-of-sale promotional materials touting 1 GHz (or greater) processing capabilities in high-end smartphones as well as tablets. Such specifications are often accompanied by a brand such as Snapdragon (Qualcomm), Tegra 2 (Nvidia), or OMAP (Texas Instruments). We expect to see chip speeds as a promotional element complemented or supplanted by mentions of dual-core processors in the second half of 2011, followed by quad-core devices in 2012.
We also expect to see graphics processing unit (GPU) capability work its way into the technology marketing lexicon. This will reflect competitive dynamics among silicon suppliers as well as a broader and often contentious debate about the future of computing itself and the division of computing tasks between the CPU and the GPU.
