doh, it has video output, do you think it has gpu?
disappointing it only has ubs connectivity, some lower level analog and digital i/o would have been nice, and allow to avoid the need for a high end mc for interfacing
I looked and couldn't see any mention of a GPU. Of course it's hard to get much technical information from Intel's websites without reading their whitepapers. It could have display logic without any hardware acceleration.
They may have a gpu-less version as well, but from the looks of it, it will have gpu. It has hdmi and dp, and the article mentions intended usage in smart tvs and such. You obviously need graphics for that. All intel chips aside from enterprise products and one poor little atom have graphics.
I don't know of any <6 W TDP Intel CPU which has no GPU integrated. MAybe some ultra small Curie-Chip, but you wouldn't want that to handle rich graphical output anyway.
Pair this with wicked AI, seamless wireless battery charging, wireless display output then put one in every pocket and you have the birth of the Exonet.
For automation/industrial equipment that is great product and will fly out of the shelves. For the consumer products, not at all. Companies want you to buy the whole thing. Imagine if Intel comes with a phone, on which you can change the CPU, Memory and the modem. Apple will lose 1/2 of their value in an instant.
In principle I agree. However, a new card from Intel will probably be way more expensive than a new complete low end smartphone, or last year's mid range.
"Alternatively, if a CPU or a memory IC fails, repair of such a device may cost a lot in terms of money and effort."
Sounds great, except... that this card doesn't look very reparable. So if a component craps out, you pretty much have to get a new one.
If you want quick and efficient repairability, then just create products with modular motherboards, making it possible to replace cpu, memory and whatnot. An opaque card is not really much progress in this aspect.
As for being "card sized" I reckon it could actually be made about half to third that size, and a tad thinner also. No big whoop.
Current Smart TVs have their processing fixed in place, not replaceable at all. These cards shouldn't be super expensive, replacing them should be a good solution.
No, he means the TV will be more repairable, by replacing the sealed card. Quit thinking about it in terms of servicing the individual components inside the card. The card becomes a mass produced commodity item. Even at a couple hundred dollars, it's going to be a lot cheaper than finding someone to replace a custom board for your $8000 OLED TV that was only designed and built for their model.
But then again, the same would apply for a simple modular PCB which the TV maker can manufacture itself rather than purchasing intel's sealed card, for better margins.
It is not like 8000$ OLED TV makers are strangers to making custom embedded boards. Why should they put their margins into intel's pocket when they can get the components and assemble their own plug-and-play board for half the cost and either make the product more affordable or enjoy better margins?
I somehow doubt the industry will be overly enthusiastic about that, regardless of how much it is hyped. They are in for the money, to put in their pockets, not intel's. They can achieve just as good service times with their own pluggable boards. The savings on R&D will be minuscule and irrelevant for big volume players, plus there is absolutely nothing preventing them from creating their own "universal" solutions, they could have done that years ago, however in most of the cases it is far most efficient to come up with a custom solution, which can be tailored to the specific application at minimum cost. One size doesn't fit all, in many cases it will be overkill, in many cases it won't suffice, it will be just right only in a few.
Thinking with your az. Nobody wants to repair products especially in the consumer segment. You just buy new. This card has very little chance in the consumer. Regarding the savings, maintenance will be like the difference between ICE vs battery.
Did you ever ask your washing machine manufacturer how much it costs to get a service techician out to your house and replace the mainboard / electronics? At least 100$ for the technician, another for the 100+$ for the custom spare part". Or if some electronics in the car get flaky. Dismantling things to access it probably already cost 200+$, unless you can find a back-door repair shop which is able to do it.
Now compare that with a 30$ commodity compute card which the user can switch himself.
LoL, keep dreaming. Even if utilized, the card would still have to be replaced by a certified technician, who will still charge you the 100$, plus 300-400$ for the spare card.
Again, nobody in the industry is interested in making LESS MONEY. If you actually believe that you should be very worried about your mental state.
Sure, having the option and actually doing it are different matters. And you're right that every profit company out there is all about making money. But that doesn't mean they'll do it at any price. Having satisfied customers become loyal and recommend the brand is a different business model which works for quite a few of them.
It is not how it works. There is an implicit mutual agreement in the name of profit. They all agree to be "about equally sucky" this way people simply have no choice but to go to one of them. And absent of choice for us, they get to dictate what we should want, which is a much better deal for them. This way they ensure products are never too good, too useful or too durable, and even thou we pay for those products, they are less about our use than they are for the industry to use us with.
I think you missed the point. This is for smart enabled devices like large TVs, refrigerators, and washing machines. If the CPU goes bad, you quickly and efficiently service your appliance by *replacing the entire card*.
It's creating compact and easily serviceable hardware for appliances that aren't really designed to be serviceable today. This is a huge leap forward for serviceability. You just fail to understand what it's improving on, because you don't understand the target market.
Interesting about no cooling, though personally as a consumer, I much prefer my Core M stick's form factor. HDMI and USB on the stick itself (keyboard/mouse here), and then more USB ports on the power supply (USB 3.0 ethernet) far better meet my needs for a light gaming / TV PC.
It's not just the fact that this doesn't plug into the TV that make things messy. In my example use case, either I would put this Card with a dock near where I currently have the power supply and then run the HDMI cable to the TV, or I would put it hanging from the TV with a short HDMI adapter/dock I guess and then all the wires would have to run up near the TV. Either way, it's not nearly as elegant. (Unless Intel's pipe dream of devices just having a slot to insert these things in actually somehow catches on, which I honestly don't see happening).
But I also fully get that the main focus of these things is business anyway, so many of the things that are dealbreakers for me probably don't even matter here.
Someone could simply build a stick replacement which provides a card slot and the I/O you need. Nothing fancy or expensive, just a bit more bulky. But you always trade off some packing density when striving for flexibility.
I'm surprised USB sticks haven't caught on, but I assume that's because there is no value proposition. The i5 version looks excellent but for the $485 asking price (or whatever it is now) you can do better if that ff isn't an asbolute must. The less expensive versions seem to be too slow to be convenient. If they could have done th i5 version without windows for $200 I think they would have done very well. This card idea....It makes little sense to me. I guess it will all depend on price but how many tech savvy corporations are going to buy all new devices for everyone to accommodate the new cards? With more and more companies moving to laptops instead of desktops, Intel would also need to get a whole lot of manufacturers making these as well. Seems like they are trying to create a niche where there isn't a major current need.
This is too weak to do any kind of any office. I don't think this thing fixes a problem. They should have just updated the Compute Stick by replacing HDMI with USB-C and call it a day. Two variants of the Stick for consumers and industrial use.
How do you know without any specific specs? Kaby Core M i7 with speed shift 2 can do a lot of office work. In fact, any 2 GHz dual core from mid 2000 still can.
Intel doesn't use the iX designation for the Core M series of CPUs so there is no i7 version. Based on the model list on Wikipedia, which appears complete as I did a bit of checking in Intel's ARK to verify it, all current Core M processors are rated at 4.5W TDP. Here's a link:
Universal Computing Platform? Hmmm, seems more like the optimum Universal Backdoor for government monitoring and easy hardware override, given Intel's cosy relationship with the NSA.
Remember SGX is now baked into all new Intel silicon, which no-one seems to wants to talk about - hardware obfuscation of running code and memory space, so spying applications (and other malware) cannot be snooped on by users. If you cannot legitimately audit the processes running on your own machine, and what they are up to, then you are f*cked. This is a personal security nightmare happening right now with every new Intel processor sold post-Broadwell.
Caveat emptor, in the current anti-democratic political climate. :(
We’ve updated our terms. By continuing to use the site and/or by logging into your account, you agree to the Site’s updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
35 Comments
Back to Article
negusp - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
Wow. This is actually pretty cool.Just a moonshot, but if you threw this with a foldable display that might appear in a couple of years...
Yojimbo - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
Does this thing have a GPU on it? I guess you would want a video decoder and some rendering ability if you're linking it to a display.ddriver - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
doh, it has video output, do you think it has gpu?disappointing it only has ubs connectivity, some lower level analog and digital i/o would have been nice, and allow to avoid the need for a high end mc for interfacing
Yojimbo - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
I looked and couldn't see any mention of a GPU. Of course it's hard to get much technical information from Intel's websites without reading their whitepapers. It could have display logic without any hardware acceleration.ddriver - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
They may have a gpu-less version as well, but from the looks of it, it will have gpu. It has hdmi and dp, and the article mentions intended usage in smart tvs and such. You obviously need graphics for that. All intel chips aside from enterprise products and one poor little atom have graphics.MrSpadge - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link
I don't know of any <6 W TDP Intel CPU which has no GPU integrated. MAybe some ultra small Curie-Chip, but you wouldn't want that to handle rich graphical output anyway.Tylanner - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
Pair this with wicked AI, seamless wireless battery charging, wireless display output then put one in every pocket and you have the birth of the Exonet.ddriver - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
Yeah, just add a battery and a display and you got yourself ... a smartphone! Oh wait, we've had that for a long time now.Vlad_Da_Great - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
For automation/industrial equipment that is great product and will fly out of the shelves. For the consumer products, not at all. Companies want you to buy the whole thing. Imagine if Intel comes with a phone, on which you can change the CPU, Memory and the modem. Apple will lose 1/2 of their value in an instant.ddriver - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
It doesn't look like you can change anything on the card. You could get a new card. But that's no different than getting a new phone...shabs42 - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link
But the card won't be nearly as expensive as the whole phone. You aren't buying a new display, battery, speakers, sensors, antenna, or case.MrSpadge - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link
In principle I agree. However, a new card from Intel will probably be way more expensive than a new complete low end smartphone, or last year's mid range.ddriver - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
"Alternatively, if a CPU or a memory IC fails, repair of such a device may cost a lot in terms of money and effort."Sounds great, except... that this card doesn't look very reparable. So if a component craps out, you pretty much have to get a new one.
If you want quick and efficient repairability, then just create products with modular motherboards, making it possible to replace cpu, memory and whatnot. An opaque card is not really much progress in this aspect.
As for being "card sized" I reckon it could actually be made about half to third that size, and a tad thinner also. No big whoop.
peterfares - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
Current Smart TVs have their processing fixed in place, not replaceable at all. These cards shouldn't be super expensive, replacing them should be a good solution.ddriver - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
"These cards shouldn't be super expensive"Do you have a source on this? The stick wasn't exactly a good value.
Also, being a "sealed card" it will likely be less repairable than a TV board. Even in the case of a component that can easily be replaced.
shelbystripes - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
No, he means the TV will be more repairable, by replacing the sealed card. Quit thinking about it in terms of servicing the individual components inside the card. The card becomes a mass produced commodity item. Even at a couple hundred dollars, it's going to be a lot cheaper than finding someone to replace a custom board for your $8000 OLED TV that was only designed and built for their model.ddriver - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
But then again, the same would apply for a simple modular PCB which the TV maker can manufacture itself rather than purchasing intel's sealed card, for better margins.It is not like 8000$ OLED TV makers are strangers to making custom embedded boards. Why should they put their margins into intel's pocket when they can get the components and assemble their own plug-and-play board for half the cost and either make the product more affordable or enjoy better margins?
I somehow doubt the industry will be overly enthusiastic about that, regardless of how much it is hyped. They are in for the money, to put in their pockets, not intel's. They can achieve just as good service times with their own pluggable boards. The savings on R&D will be minuscule and irrelevant for big volume players, plus there is absolutely nothing preventing them from creating their own "universal" solutions, they could have done that years ago, however in most of the cases it is far most efficient to come up with a custom solution, which can be tailored to the specific application at minimum cost. One size doesn't fit all, in many cases it will be overkill, in many cases it won't suffice, it will be just right only in a few.
Vlad_Da_Great - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
Thinking with your az. Nobody wants to repair products especially in the consumer segment. You just buy new. This card has very little chance in the consumer. Regarding the savings, maintenance will be like the difference between ICE vs battery.MrSpadge - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link
Did you ever ask your washing machine manufacturer how much it costs to get a service techician out to your house and replace the mainboard / electronics? At least 100$ for the technician, another for the 100+$ for the custom spare part". Or if some electronics in the car get flaky. Dismantling things to access it probably already cost 200+$, unless you can find a back-door repair shop which is able to do it.Now compare that with a 30$ commodity compute card which the user can switch himself.
ddriver - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link
LoL, keep dreaming. Even if utilized, the card would still have to be replaced by a certified technician, who will still charge you the 100$, plus 300-400$ for the spare card.Again, nobody in the industry is interested in making LESS MONEY. If you actually believe that you should be very worried about your mental state.
MrSpadge - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link
Sure, having the option and actually doing it are different matters. And you're right that every profit company out there is all about making money. But that doesn't mean they'll do it at any price. Having satisfied customers become loyal and recommend the brand is a different business model which works for quite a few of them.ddriver - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link
It is not how it works. There is an implicit mutual agreement in the name of profit. They all agree to be "about equally sucky" this way people simply have no choice but to go to one of them. And absent of choice for us, they get to dictate what we should want, which is a much better deal for them. This way they ensure products are never too good, too useful or too durable, and even thou we pay for those products, they are less about our use than they are for the industry to use us with.shelbystripes - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
I think you missed the point. This is for smart enabled devices like large TVs, refrigerators, and washing machines. If the CPU goes bad, you quickly and efficiently service your appliance by *replacing the entire card*.It's creating compact and easily serviceable hardware for appliances that aren't really designed to be serviceable today. This is a huge leap forward for serviceability. You just fail to understand what it's improving on, because you don't understand the target market.
Illusio13 - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
Most (?) modern Tv's have the CI slot, this looks like it would fit in there nice!jjj - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
Yeah sure they made a phone without a display and nobody thought it's silly.This is another desperate play to charge for the entire thing instead of selling just the silicon.
jhoff80 - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
Interesting about no cooling, though personally as a consumer, I much prefer my Core M stick's form factor. HDMI and USB on the stick itself (keyboard/mouse here), and then more USB ports on the power supply (USB 3.0 ethernet) far better meet my needs for a light gaming / TV PC.It's not just the fact that this doesn't plug into the TV that make things messy. In my example use case, either I would put this Card with a dock near where I currently have the power supply and then run the HDMI cable to the TV, or I would put it hanging from the TV with a short HDMI adapter/dock I guess and then all the wires would have to run up near the TV. Either way, it's not nearly as elegant. (Unless Intel's pipe dream of devices just having a slot to insert these things in actually somehow catches on, which I honestly don't see happening).
But I also fully get that the main focus of these things is business anyway, so many of the things that are dealbreakers for me probably don't even matter here.
MrSpadge - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link
Someone could simply build a stick replacement which provides a card slot and the I/O you need. Nothing fancy or expensive, just a bit more bulky. But you always trade off some packing density when striving for flexibility.fanofanand - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - link
I'm surprised USB sticks haven't caught on, but I assume that's because there is no value proposition. The i5 version looks excellent but for the $485 asking price (or whatever it is now) you can do better if that ff isn't an asbolute must. The less expensive versions seem to be too slow to be convenient. If they could have done th i5 version without windows for $200 I think they would have done very well. This card idea....It makes little sense to me. I guess it will all depend on price but how many tech savvy corporations are going to buy all new devices for everyone to accommodate the new cards? With more and more companies moving to laptops instead of desktops, Intel would also need to get a whole lot of manufacturers making these as well. Seems like they are trying to create a niche where there isn't a major current need.zodiacfml - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link
This is too weak to do any kind of any office. I don't think this thing fixes a problem.They should have just updated the Compute Stick by replacing HDMI with USB-C and call it a day. Two variants of the Stick for consumers and industrial use.
MrSpadge - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link
"This is too weak to do any kind of any office."How do you know without any specific specs? Kaby Core M i7 with speed shift 2 can do a lot of office work. In fact, any 2 GHz dual core from mid 2000 still can.
fanofanand - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link
And you think they can get a Core M i7 under 6 watts? Come on MrSpadge you know better than that.BrokenCrayons - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link
Intel doesn't use the iX designation for the Core M series of CPUs so there is no i7 version. Based on the model list on Wikipedia, which appears complete as I did a bit of checking in Intel's ARK to verify it, all current Core M processors are rated at 4.5W TDP. Here's a link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Core_M...
MrSpadge - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link
Like this?http://ark.intel.com/products/95441
admnor - Friday, January 13, 2017 - link
Is nobody else planning on 3D-printing a tiny server rack to hold 8 of these babies?No?
Just me then.
asmian - Saturday, January 14, 2017 - link
Universal Computing Platform? Hmmm, seems more like the optimum Universal Backdoor for government monitoring and easy hardware override, given Intel's cosy relationship with the NSA.Remember SGX is now baked into all new Intel silicon, which no-one seems to wants to talk about - hardware obfuscation of running code and memory space, so spying applications (and other malware) cannot be snooped on by users. If you cannot legitimately audit the processes running on your own machine, and what they are up to, then you are f*cked. This is a personal security nightmare happening right now with every new Intel processor sold post-Broadwell.
Caveat emptor, in the current anti-democratic political climate. :(