Intel launched IVY bridge processor

Intel launching event of its IVY bridge processor held in a local hotel, where country head of Intel Mr. Naveed Siraj presented their 3^rd generation processor with focus on Ultrabook laptops next wave.  Although my interested was more about processor but the whole program was mixture of three different products IVY bridge process, Ultrabook next wave and WDI screen.  Ultrabook is definitely very visible and appealing with marketing perspectives with IVY bridge series enhancements.

Intel Ivy Bridge Processor

As usual Intel’s country manager Naveed Siraj has excellent style of presentation and detail explanation of each and everything of technology, in a more business language and without IT jargon was wonderful, he kept whole audience very much engaged and put them excited into their products.

Technical Dictionary: Processor(used in computer to calculate logical and arithmetic calculations), Ultrbook(slim laptop), Hibernate(stores all memory and power off laptop), Sleep(a mode in which systems response quickly from sleeping state), Transistor(electronic circuitry device, computer processor consist of millions of transistors)

Introduction:

There were three different products being presented in show, one was IVY bridge process and 2^nd was future of Ultra books by using this processor. Intel’s efforts to in architecture shrinkage from its last architecture 32nm Sandy Bridge to a new 22nm Tri-Gate transistor is as usual very welcoming in efforts of increasing performance and reducing voltage consumption and heat. Although 3^rd  generation processor is not giving any extra clock speed and no more cores over and above the quad-core chips we had in the last generation of Intel CPU, but it has added a lot benefits in Video performance 13% performance make it thick to be called 3^rd generation. The processor series has very slight number variation like i7 3770 to Intel core i7-2600, so no naming changing only series number changed is really missing for people who were waiting for revolutionary 3^rd generation.

Ultrabook Devices and All-in-one Pcs were another focus topic of the presentation where it yield that Ultrabook are going to be future technology with superior Experiences, responsive, stylish, protected and mobile. Let us discuss what these entire product exactly and how can we compare it with competitors of Intel.

What is in new Processors?

Ivy Bridge is their new processor and used 22nm technology with a new technology of Tri-Gate transistors. But they way it is being presented, it is more for laptop as it is smaller, energy efficient and has very little to do with desktop computing. Usually die shrink from 32nm to 22nm makes things smaller, with more transistors, better power efficiency and higher clock but the most of basic principles remain largely the same.

Manufacturing Technology:

As per Intel “The big change is the introduction of what is calls 3d Tri-gate transistors. Wow so what are exactly 3d Tri-gate transistors? Well in conventional transistors the gate oxide and inversion layers which essentially channel and control electrical current are flat and planar with relatively low surface area. 3d tri-gate transistors, it’s as if the gate oxide and inversion layer has been flipped up on its side and joined by two chums.

What I understand as samples of processor not available, so a 3d Tri-gate transistor will provide more surface area, more control over current and lower leakage. So in physical world lower leakage mean less power consumption and less heat which is just bonza for laptop CPUs. As all these benefits are better for laptops as compare to desktop.

Performance Enhancement

As it is new processor so no doubt as there is another factor of performance enhancement in Video side will definitely add benefits to gaming desktop, so that’s why old guru of computer Saleem Sahab (Galaxy Computers) was confident about IVY bridge’s capability for gaming consumer and it is is pure for gaming, and their machines under name of Galaxy Computer was focused on games manufactured in Pakistan.

I acknowledge that it is not only video performance, but Intel has gone a lot changes in execution engines which carries over with tweaks to FP/Integer divider which has twice the throughput compared with Sandy Bridge and a couple of other upgrades that involve data structure sharing and better handling of MOV operation. Although these things are pure academic, and I am not good in physics but what I know is it is certainly going to gain some performance for me as a blogger.

Marketing potential in Pakistan

There is no doubt that Intel is winner in Pakistan due to Pakistani hot weather. As other manufacture processor in startup failed to capture market due to high temperature weather, although for a while AMD was on very good position due to its performance, but it has major drawback of temperature, so a seed in the consumer mind about being hot and giving problem were planted in past, so that is still in consumers mind and Intel is just a outstanding winner. All Intel processor is very captured by the market, even in laptops/desktop and other devices Intel has very good reputation. People like to buy laptop where Intel processor is present and don’t appreciate much laptop that has other processors.

We have no exact information, but it seem somewhere Desktop computers are almost going to disappear and laptops are on peak, but today except conventional computing, a lot of people focused on latest smart phones/ipad/tables and other similar product which are more easy to be carried with in pocket. So laptops are also going to lose their buyers, as now people are focused on more these small devices which bring them balance in their work and personal life, make them more organized and efficient.

But still there is huge demand of slim/ultrabook laptops and Intel focus on these is good initiated, as Apple already have similar product, but they are very costly and Intel is providing architecture to manufacture and OEM, will high competition for Apple’s slim series laptop. Although still we don’t have much supply in market to judge how these will capture market. But the price is key factor in these laptop, if they have minor difference than normal laptop, surely it is going to win market.

Key features of Next Wave of Ultrabook

Thin design

Today commuter user s want to have laptop with every minute with them. I have very good machine of Sony Vaio, but I got another lower budget machine of dell, which was very small in size factor, so I even compromised on the performance but size really matter for me. What is use of performance when you can’t use it in your free time, so small size is very important factor in laptop. Ultrabook devices must be 18mm or less in thickness for systems with displays less than 14 inches and 21mm or less for system with displays 14 inches or more; some current systems are much thineer.

Responsive

Quote from Intel “All 3^rd generation Intel core Ultrabook devices wakeup in flash – -going from a very deep sleep state (s4) to full use (keyboard interaction) in less than 7 seconds. And wakeup from “sleep” mode even faster. Additionally they must be responsive while active, meaning they will load and run favorite applications: quickly.  Intel smart response is a technology behind responsiveness of ultrabook.

I don’t like sleepy laptop, but hibernated laptop, because I believe in another sort of sleep which is Hibernate, as when I am taking my laptop with me, I do not like to put it in sleep as during sleep your battery is being consumed and system is actually in running condition. So when you put in your bad it will be hot, so hibernate is good solution which put your computer in off mode and when restart it come to same state. So when I searched I found Intel has new technology Rapid Start, which is a mechanism used to bring your laptop from a sleep or hibernate state to a fully functioning OS in roughly five seconds or less.

What is Rapid Start?

From windows 95, sleep and hibernate start to peak in operating system. Idea was simple to store whole memory chunk at state of running machine and save it to a storage location. After shutdown whenever system start it will take all data from saved memory chunk to bring system in same state. Two different state sleep is usally involve system to be in state where battery is being used, but hibernate is state where system complete turn off, so require no battery. To have good start we require fast storage device and Ultrabook have SSD(Solid state Harddisk) which is very fast. So ultrbook enhance both sleep to wakeup in seconds, and good thing is during sleep your batter will give backup of 30 days, that mean in sleep state you have no problem at all and 30 days is huge period. As for hibernate it also improved.

There is another smart Responsive technology which provide another way, as we talked about saving memory chunk, but if we have primary disk SSD which is enhancing our regular work by accessing quickly and saving files, but same is being used for hibernate/sleep data storage, we can gain significant performance by adding another large hard disk Hybrid hard driver for primary and small Solid State Harddisk to save sleep/hibernate state, we will be in classic system.

Long Last Battery Life

Ultrbook device must offer at least 5 hours of battery life with many meeting the recommended level of 8 hours plus in even the sleekest form factors

Security Enable

Future is coming where money has no value but information/knowledge is only important thing we will take care of it. A business laptop of organization is most important thing for one employee, like my organization can terminate service if laptop is stolen, so it is very critical and import.

Intel  also realize this and added Intel Anti-Theft (Intel AT) technology is a hardware-based technology that makes it possible to lock down an ultrabook if it’s lost or stolen and helps secure sensitive information stored on the devices hard drive. This also require another service company like Absolute Software, Intel, Norton and MCafee.

Ultrabook is great to use and it is just passion for some people. For me as being Java Software Analytic it will be great as in Java we use many different libraries and keep many different software open to develop latest solution, but price is really factor.

Cons

Intel is very keen on trying to keep Ultrabooks affordable. We still don’t see much product in Karachi market, but as per reviews in Year 2011 as per Intel’s efforts to keep price under $1000 is not achieved yet, it is only the base which achieve this, but target of consumer prices were higher where MacBook Air 11-inch which is primary push for this category os system is priced at $1000 making it difficult for many other PC companies to compete. But there are brighter chances that in new Wave(2^nd generation) of Ultrabook in 2012 should improve pricing model.

In past our motherboard has soldered processors, so if processor become dead, that mean whole mother board gone, and it was really very serious issue in repairing and maintenance. So companies focus on having separate mother board and processor.  So from soldered to socket based technology emerged and have got good growth. Now this sleek Ultrabook is going to same past now not only processor but Harddisk(SSD) is also sealed on mother board, so a minor fault in board(burning of resistance/transistor/diod) will make whole computer to dustbin. That is very bad as it mean now there would rare maintenance requirement in these laptops and they will be useless when have minor fault. So it all depend how much they gave life to consumer, if they give problem, sure Intel will loose its position. As apple has a very good position in its reliability that is they are expensive.

People I met in the presentation

Mr. Naveed Siraj(country manager of Intel)

This  is 2^nd time I meet with Naveed Siraj, he is really very knowledgeable person, in his presentation each of his sentence showed is knowledge and expertise in IT, although there were some rays shining of marketing enriched skills and caliber. But being marketing person, his skills and interest in up-to date of latest technology is at peak, and he easily compete with advance IT Professional to satisfy them with responses. I was highly inspired from his way of presenting new product and holding up stage.

Fatima Naqvi and Rabi(Xenith Public Relaltion company) this is 2^nd time I meet with both of them. They have been holding whole event very professional and have very deep understanding of PR and managing events.

Mr. Saleem (Galaxy computer) I met him after 14 years, he was still same having passion with computers, technology and interest in system development. He is pioneer computer industry and have been my good old time helping hand and trainer.