Intel CEO says Bay Trail tablets will start at $200

[happysmiles]

http://www.wpcentral.com/future-windows-8-tablets-start-200

The bigwigs at Intel are boasting that prices of Windows 8 touch devices will dip to new low prices soon. You can thank the engineers working on the next generation Atom processor named “Bay Trail”. Atom might bring PTSD type memories from those netbook days, but it’s gone from “the little processor that could” to something that could shake up the mobile market. Bay Trail is expected to the most powerful Atom processor and will double the computing performance of the current crop. In addition you can look forward to all day battery life, weeks of standby, and devices with designs as thin as 8mm (0.3 inches).
When and for how much, right? Paul Otellini, CEO of Intel, has this to say:

"If you look at touch-enabled Intel-based notebooks that are ultrathin using [Bay Trail] processors. Those prices are going to be down to as low as $200.”
​

It's going to be a crowded holiday season and I think it's going to bring the PC industry a well needed boost, I look at the products currently available and none of them appeal to me mostly because Bay Trail/Jaguar are coming this year.

 

[jpiniero]

$200 and run Android, maybe. I'll guess the Nexus 7 successor will have better specs though.

 

[Arkadrel]

Its all about the eco system.
So many good x86 programs out there, so many things you can do on a x86 tablet,
you probably cant on a ARM one.

Its always just been a matter of battery life.
Even if x86 is never as effecient as ARM, theres a point where its "good enough", with battery life.

Ei.

A ARM laptop that lasts 3 days on a charge up, and has 1/3rd the power.

vs

A x86 that only lasts 1 day, but has x3 times as much power, and a bigger software eco system.

Most people would go with the x86 solution, I believe.

 

[podspi]

$200 and run Android, maybe. I'll guess the Nexus 7 successor will have better specs though.

Yea, I can't imagine what a tablet like that would look like. Would anybody be making money off of it?!

That being said, if they offer an Atom-based $200 tablet, I'd definitely buy one as long as it had an unlocked bootloader. It makes me said I have to actually say that though.

 

[StrangerGuy]

Its all about the eco system.
So many good x86 programs out there, so many things you can do on a x86 tablet,
you probably cant on a ARM one.

Its always just been a matter of battery life.
Even if x86 is never as effecient as ARM, theres a point where its "good enough", with battery life.

Ei.

A ARM laptop that lasts 3 days on a charge up, and has 1/3rd the power.

vs

A x86 that only lasts 1 day, but has x3 times as much power, and a bigger software eco system.

Most people would go with the x86 solution, I believe.

If those run Android, which 99.99% probably is, the x86 compatibility won't matter one bit.

And you all can also forget installing Windows on those...don't expect free lunches from Wintel especially when the thing in question can potentially cannibalize the high margins of their bread and butter.

 

[frozentundra123456]

If those run Android, which 99.99% probably is, the x86 compatibility won't matter one bit.

And you all can also forget installing Windows on those...don't expect free lunches from Wintel especially when the thing in question can potentially cannibalize the high margins of their bread and butter.

I cant imagine that it would run windows either, unless microsoft is giving windows away basically for free because Win RT was such a disaster, and they at least want a foothold in the low cost tablet space.

But if it doesnt run windows, it is an automatic no starter for me. I have one android tablet now, and will never consider another. I hate it that much.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Perhaps, Intel will jumpstart the low-cost x86/x64 tablet market with Ubuntu?

I could see a growing Linux (not android) ecosystem developing for x86 tablets.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Perhaps, Intel will jumpstart the low-cost x86/x64 tablet market with Ubuntu?

I could see a growing Linux (not android) ecosystem developing for x86 tablets.

I would definitely consider a Linux version, since I would not really expect to game on a low end tablet.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

$200 with a touch screen? ill believe it when i see it. netbooks are still a nice form factor, they just needed faster chips and higher resolutions. im not sure 2x as fast as the current atom garbage is going to cut it though. at least now that tablets have hd displays they wont be able to get away with 1024x600 anymore

 

[OBLAMA2009]

Perhaps, Intel will jumpstart the low-cost x86/x64 tablet market with Ubuntu?

I could see a growing Linux (not android) ecosystem developing for x86 tablets.

the problem with linux is that there are tons of half baked, buggy distros out there and at the moment i would put ubuntu in that category. at least chromeos is somewhat polished

 

[Arkadrel]

Im gonna be right to the point here.

x86 without Windows = *sadface*

Theres no real advantage, if your not able to run windows on x86.
Then you might as well be useing a ARM cpu and whatever software ecosystem they have.

The success or defeat of low powered x86 depends on getting windows
enabled tablets/laptops out that are decently priced.

 

[lagokc]

Add a keyboard and let me put Linux Mint on it and I'll take 3.

 

[R0H1T]

Well unless Intel plans to massively subsidize these products(initially) I don't see such a thing taking off at all !

 

[lagokc]

Well unless Intel plans to massively subsidize these products(initially) I don't see such a thing taking off at all !

It's completely viable, just expect them to have supporting hardware that more closely resembles a cheap android tablet than a netbook (eg 16gb ssd instead of 320gb hdd, tiny battery, very cheap build quality, and odds are MS will release some kind of Windows 8 "tablet edition" which costs next to nothing for OEMs but helps them keep Android/Chrome/iOS from gaining ground quite as quickly).

 

[scannall]

Its all about the eco system.
So many good x86 programs out there, so many things you can do on a x86 tablet,
you probably cant on a ARM one.

Its always just been a matter of battery life.
Even if x86 is never as effecient as ARM, theres a point where its "good enough", with battery life.

Ei.

A ARM laptop that lasts 3 days on a charge up, and has 1/3rd the power.

vs

A x86 that only lasts 1 day, but has x3 times as much power, and a bigger software eco system.

Most people would go with the x86 solution, I believe.

At $200, it isn't running Windows. Further, 'legacy' apps mean almost nothing as most will be unusable on a tiny tablet.

 

[poofyhairguy]

So many good x86 programs out there, so many things you can do on a x86 tablet,

Yeah if you hook up a keyboard and mouse and turn the tablet into a laptop.

If you want to use the tablet as a tablet (IE apps made for touch) then Windows lags both Android and iOS.


If Intel wants to break into the Android market, the only way is to pay some high-end Android game makers to make versions for their tablet Nvidia-style. If not then there won't be anything to show off Intel's power on Android and it will seem inferior despite the performance advantage.

 

[R0H1T]

It's completely viable, just expect them to have supporting hardware that more closely resembles a cheap android tablet than a netbook (eg 16gb ssd instead of 320gb hdd, tiny battery, very cheap build quality, and odds are MS will release some kind of Windows 8 "tablet edition" which costs next to nothing for OEMs but helps them keep Android/Chrome/iOS from gaining ground quite as quickly).

Nope, the only vendor that makes a decent tablet at that level is Amazon & they practically sell it at CP or a marginal loss. Also android isn't free as some claim it to be, see this, so depending on the manufacturer MS will charge more/less depending on the agreement(s) in place &/or their leverage !

The larger vendors like Samsung/ASUS will also want higher margins ergo lower costs & thinner margins for Intel but the thing is I don't see how Intel will compete with 10~25$ ARM parts at current margins or even if they lower their costs to 30$ range. All in all its a double whammy i.e. if you go with Windows(not RT) it'll cost you more in licensing fees but if you don't then Android is still that much more popular on ARM & certainly cheaper overall.

 

[Phynaz]

Android convertible tablets from Lenovo, HP, Toshiba, Acer, and Asus:

http://techreport.com/news/24686/report-intel-chips-to-fuel-new-android-convertibles

 

[VirtualLarry]

Add a keyboard and let me put Linux Mint on it and I'll take 3.

I hear you. I generally run Windows on my desktops, for various reasons, but if I had a Tablet, I think that I might prefer Linux to Windows 8 for sure, for basic web browsing and media consumption purposes (rather than software development or content creation).

 

[podspi]

If those run Android, which 99.99% probably is, the x86 compatibility won't matter one bit.

And you all can also forget installing Windows on those...don't expect free lunches from Wintel especially when the thing in question can potentially cannibalize the high margins of their bread and butter.

At $200 there is no way it would come preinstalled (unless they are giving it away) but if you are willing to pay for a Win license (I would) or install something like Ubuntu I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work unless they specifically blocked it, which would be stupid.

 

[happysmiles]

Nothing was said about Linux/Android and the $200 mark will be because Intel can get their costs down due to engineering.

the hell is with you guys.

 

[Vesku]

Could be what Windows Blue is intended for, low MS tax OS for these kinds of devices.

http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/18/mi...ring-windows-8-to-smaller-touch-devices-soon/

 

[cbn]

If Intel wants to break into the Android market, the only way is to pay some high-end Android game makers to make versions for their tablet Nvidia-style. If not then there won't be anything to show off Intel's power on Android and it will seem inferior despite the performance advantage.

Well, Intel has been working on integrated digital wifi for atom. (I think this is due out in ~2015)

If that turns out to be a great feature they may be able to gain good traction for the Android tablets. (despite a lack of gaming)

Lets see what they come up with.

 

[erunion]

Im gonna be right to the point here.

x86 without Windows = *sadface*

Theres no real advantage, if your not able to run windows on x86.
Then you might as well be useing a ARM cpu and whatever software ecosystem they have.

The success or defeat of low powered x86 depends on getting windows
enabled tablets/laptops out that are decently priced.

There is no ARM software ecosystem. Android is not native ARM, its high level and can run on anything.

The advantage of Intel is speed, whether you are running windows, Mac Os, chrome, or android.

Now, the advantage of Windows is backwards compatibility; which is why WinRT is so borked.

 

[Exophase]

There is no ARM software ecosystem. Android is not native ARM, its high level and can run on anything.

Lots of Android apps use NDK which includes native ARM. NDK uses fat binaries which can also incorporate x86 but a lot of the older ones won't.

iOS is purely native ARM across the board, that is definitely an ARM software ecosystem.