Digitimes: Intel starts Mass producing Oaktrail platform

[cbn]

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20101124PD205.html

Intel has recently started mass production of its Oak Trail platform specifically for tablet PCs, with the combination of Atom Z670 processor and SM35 chipset the initial product, according to industry sources.

The Oak Trail platform will sell at about US$25 with MeeGo, and the price for Oak Trail and Microsoft's Windows 7 will be higher.

Although Intel's processors cannot match those of ARM in terms of low price and power consumption, Intel's strategy of offering cheaper prices and improving performance and power consumption of the platform, should help Intel defend against ARM-based products.

Sources also pointed out that most existing tablet PCs currently are priced at above NT$17,000 (US$559), and if the average price cannot drop below NT$15,000 in 2011, the expected surge in shipment growth may not occur.

This is old News, but I thought it was interesting that Intel is selling Oaktrail for a higher price without Meego.

Does anyone know Oaktrail's regular price?

 

[Nemesis 1]

Nope haven't a clue. It looking like a console type thing tho so it must be legeal, Because the meego is thrown into the deal which is priced together with OTis cheaper not sure a believe that . Not sure about what it cost intel to break even on OT . But when atom 1st appeared . It was said intel cost was $6 a chip.

 

[Lonyo]

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20101124PD205.html



This is old News, but I thought it was interesting that Intel is selling Oaktrail for a higher price without Meego.

Does anyone know Oaktrail's regular price?

It doesn't say that it's higher without MeeGo, but that it's higher with Windows 7.
It doesn't say anything about sans MeeGo pricing.

 

[IntelUser2000]

This is old News, but I thought it was interesting that Intel is selling Oaktrail for a higher price without Meego.

Does anyone know Oaktrail's regular price?

Supposedly the Nettop Atoms were sold for the same bundle price. I'm pretty sure the official pricing is higher than what Digitimes says.

 

[cbn]

I found the following Pro and Con Article regarding Meego.

http://www.i4u.com/42841/5-things-could-make-meego-great

Here are five reasons MeeGo might rule.

Open: MeeGo is incredibly open. Pretty much all development takes place "in public", revealed in a series of forums and mailing lists. Nokia and Intel have taken great pains to show that a bias for their products will not enter into MeeGo's development.

MeeGo offers carriers an open-source option that isn't from Google. And since Google's dream seems to involve turning carriers into dumb pipes, they may decide that MeeGo is worth a try.

Continuous Computing: During the keynote we were shown a brief demo video of the MeeGo OS. It showed someone watching a movie on his TV, pausing it, hopping into his car and playing the same movie from the point he left off at.

Intel envisions a future where people are constantly surrounded by and interacting with computers. Device communication will be very important. Android's fragmentation make 'sharing apps' across devices rather troublesome. But that shouldn't be an issue with MeeGo, because...

All APIs Are Standard across MeeGo devices. Even the sceptical developers (most of the audience) were happy to hear this. You can program for one MeeGo gadget as easily as another. We were also promised that the sort of "update lag" we see with Android devices would not be as much of an issue.

There are Big Players behind MeeGo: Any platform that has Intel, Nokia and ARM backing it bears watching it. An executive from ARM even came up on stage (next to an Intel VP) to promise their support and enthusiasm. Advertising, bribing developers with treats, none of this is cheap.

But Nokia needs MeeGo, and they know it. This is the company that has dominated mobile phones since the industries first days. They have the dominant brand, worldwide and the distribution network to get MeeGo devices out to the wide world.

MeeGo Itself is a pretty damn good operating system. It is definitely unfinished, but what exists as of 1.1 is a wonderful compromise between speed and control. Social media and chat integration- some of the best things about Maemo, has made it over in fine form. MeeGo scales well from 'shallow' use of surface applications to file management, browsing and system controls.

Two Big Hairy Butts:

1. Where are the Apps? Developers want money more than 'open', and MeeGo still has no framework for a profitable app store. Microsoft worked themselves into a frenzy making deals and paying devs to get 1600 apps ready for WP7 at launch. We've seen no signs of an equivalent push from Nokia or Intel.

2. Why should I buy this? Or, specifically, why should I buy this over Android? If I'm going for something besides iOS, what does MeeGo have that Android and Windows Phone 7 lack? The idea of having all your devices freely sharing apps and content is great, and MeeGo is being built well for that sort of a world.

But that isn't the world we live in today, and MeeGo will enter the market in just a few more months. They don't have many apps, a network of developers or any exciting hardware (that we know of) on the immediate horizon. There's not much buzz around MeeGo.

Folks were interested to read new Windows Phone 7 OS and device leaks. Every blurry cellphone snapshot was met by slurry of blog posts and excited comments. But MeeGo is still just "the Open Source OS that isn't Android". As much as I enjoy using it, I'm worried that MeeGo's "best case" scenario may be ending up shackled to some manufacturer, ala HP and webOS.

Opinions on the sharing of APIs across devices?

Other comments?

P.S. The article mentions Intel, Nokia and ARM, but on November 15th AMD joined the effort as well. More information here

 

[cbn]

It doesn't say that it's higher without MeeGo, but that it's higher with Windows 7.
It doesn't say anything about sans MeeGo pricing.

Thanks for the correction.

I've been under the impression Windows 7 Starter is $18 wholesale, so it would be interesting to find out how much price swing Intel created vs. what manufacturers decided to go with.

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20101202PD217.html

Branded notebook vendors to launch Oak Trail-based tablet PCs in 1Q11

Monica Chen, Taipei; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES [Friday 3 December 2010]

Backed by promotional campaigns waged by Intel, branded notebook vendors, including Asustek Computer, Acer, Dell, Samsung Electronics and Toshiba, all are expected to launch Oak Trail-based tablet PCs in the first quarter of 2011, according to industry sources.

Intel is expected to deliver its Oak Trail platform products, which include its Atom Z670 processors and SM35 chipsets, to notebook ODMs in January, the sources noted.

A number of vendors are expected to showcase their Oak Trail-platform tablet PCs at the upcoming CES trade show and will begin to market the products in February or March, the sources added.

Prior to the launch of Oak Trail-based tablet PCs, Asustek is expected to unveil high-end, 12-inch tablets, powered by Intel's Core i5 CPUs, at the end of December. The 12-inch models, which will be priced between US$1,000-1,299, will target the US and Europe initially.

 

[IntelUser2000]

I'm betting on Windows, because Moorestown will create better Android/MeeGo platform. Oak Trail will allow Windows devices to reach new heights for form factor and battery life.

 

[cbn]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20025046-64.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody;1n

Intel CEO Paul Otellini said today that its chips will be in more than 35 different tablet designs in 2011, while clarifying that two lines of Atom processors will be used in tablets.

"We're going to make sure we support all of the viable operating systems that are in the marketplace," Otellini said at the Barclays Capital 2010 Global Technology Conference. The conference audio was streamed live over the Internet.

Intel listed more than 15 brands, including upcoming consumer tablets from Toshiba, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, Acer, and Motion Computing. "A number of them on Windows. A number of them on Android--both Froyo and Honeycomb [versions of Android]," Otellini said.

Intel CEO Paul Otellini said the Atom chip will be in at least 35 tablet designs in 2011. The above slide showed some of those upcoming brands.

"We have two flavors of products," Otellini said, speaking about the two lines of Atom processors for tablets. "One carries our PC legacy, the codename is Oak Trail. This is for the Windows environment. That's important for people who want the advantage of PC peripheral compatibility. All the printers in the world work, all the USB drivers in the world work. Any PC peripheral will work perfectly well with Oak Trail. [It is a] very solid, high-performance, low-power version of Atom," he said.

Otellini continued. "We have an even more optimized [Atom] version called Moorestown. For people who want the most lightweight, longest battery life, thinnest machine. It doesn't carry the PC compatibility. It's got the x86 instruction set, so Internet compatibility is there, but we're not worrying about legacy support [in Windows]," Otellini said.

"Consumer [tablet] products will roll out in the first half of next year on all three operating systems," he said.

Otellini also reiterated that getting Intel's chips into smartphones will take time. "It's a marathon, not a sprint." He said the second-generation Atom processor for phones, dubbed "Medfield," is "in customer sampling...for shipment [in phones] in 2011 and 2012. You will see smartphones from premier-branded vendors in the marketplace in [the second quarter of] 2011 with Intel silicon inside them."

It looks like Acer is going completely Meego.

 

[IntelUser2000]

Windows and MeeGo Tablets also include the Pine Trail platform. The WeTab product on the MeeGo category is already announced and is based on Pine Trail.

Cisco/AT&T/OpenPeak device is Moorestown.

Ocosmos is Oak Trail.

 

[sxr7171]

I really would like to see Meego succeed despite the unfortunate name. I used to use Nokia S60 phones for many years until they got outclassed in every way possible. They were good devices.

But beyond Nokia, I'd have to say a non-Google alternative is great. I feel that Google is getting a little too pervasive/invasive in our lives.

However, I also ask the question: where are the apps? There better be some decent developer push or they can flounder for all I care. Just dump some money and incentives into it. I expect that there will be apps that match every iOS app there is. That means facebook, sling, netflix, hulu, squeezebox remote, itunes/mediamonkey controller, yelp, bank apps, I mean everything. Well there better be or there will be no traction.

If I were Intel or Nokia, I wouldn't be worrying about hardware as much right now. Just get some money together and pay developers. Do it now.

 

[cbn]

I really would like to see Meego succeed despite the unfortunate name. I used to use Nokia S60 phones for many years until they got outclassed in every way possible. They were good devices.

But beyond Nokia, I'd have to say a non-Google alternative is great. I feel that Google is getting a little too pervasive/invasive in our lives.

However, I also ask the question: where are the apps? There better be some decent developer push or they can flounder for all I care. Just dump some money and incentives into it. I expect that there will be apps that match every iOS app there is. That means facebook, sling, netflix, hulu, squeezebox remote, itunes/mediamonkey controller, yelp, bank apps, I mean everything. Well there better be or there will be no traction.

If I were Intel or Nokia, I wouldn't be worrying about hardware as much right now. Just get some money together and pay developers. Do it now.

Computerworld: Intel tool will let its chips run iphone apps

Intel tool will let its chips run iPhone apps
By Agam Shah
October 5, 2010 06:36 PM ET
Comments (0)
Recommended (12)

IDG News Service - Intel is developing a tool that will make it easier for developers to port iPhone applications to Intel-based smartphones, tablets and other devices, a company executive said Tuesday.

Most smartphones and tablets today run on Arm-based processors, so developers tend to write mobile applications first for the Arm architecture. By making it easier to port those applications to Intel processors, Intel hopes to create more software -- and thus more demand -- for devices based on its chips.

The tool will identify changes that need to be made in an iPhone application, making it easier to convert the application to run on Intel-based hardware, said Doug Fisher, vice president of Intel's Software and Services group and general manager of its Systems Software division, in an interview on Tuesday.

In the future it could provide a simple way to port applications to Meego, a Linux-based mobile OS developed by Intel and Nokia that was launched earlier this year.

The tool could help increase the number of applications available at Intel's application store, which is called the AppUp Center. The store hosts netbook applications but is expected to offer applications for other mobile devices in the future. Apple has a head start in this area, however. Its App Store hosts around 250,000 applications.

"We'll get [applications on] AppUp, then Meego and I imagine Windows," Fisher said. "It's basically taking the existing applications, finding the ones that are most relevant to end users, and ensuring they get pulled over."

Intel didn't say when the tool will be released.

Intel is trying to push its Atom processor into smartphones, tablets and other embedded devices, but it is a new entrant to the space. Most phones and tablets today use chips based on Arm devices, including the iPhone and iPad.

"Getting people excited to develop to Intel platforms is absolutely critical to us," he said. Intel is trying to achieve this through developer tools and developer competitions, and by making it easier for developers to monetize their applications, Fisher said.

Intel and Nokia introduced Meego in February. Besides phones and tablets it is also targeted at embedded devices such as set-top boxes and in-vehicle entertainment systems.

Later this month the companies will release version 1.1 of the OS, which will include better touch and telephony capabilities. The OS will appear in netbooks, tablets and in-vehicle entertainment systems by the end of the year.

"By the first half of next year you should start seeing handset devices in the market with Meego," Fisher said.

Intel will also make Meego available for devices using Arm processors. "You should expect to see the Arm architecture in handsets ... with Meego coming out as well," Fisher said.